Breaking Barriers
by Bronius Maximus
Summary: Rainbow Dash gets the chance of a lifetime, when she receives a letter inviting her to the Wonderbolt's training camp for tryouts! Why the hell am I only allowed 200 words to summarize this story! That is RETARDED. A sequel to At Home On The Range.
1. Chapter 1

Breaking Barriers  
By: Bronius Maximus  
Edited By: FanNotANerd  
Chapter 1- Horizons

Dash tossed to her right. It was still dark outside. She wouldn't have to be at work for another three hours, yet she was eager to get into the sky. Something about knowing she could be a Wonderbolt a month from now made her crave time in the air like a field craves the rain in a drought. Even when she found herself walking Tank, she often times leapt into the sky while the slow tortoise ambled along on the ground.

Not that her weather job was anything to worry about. It was the one thing she was almost certain she could do blindfolded. She was so good at it now, that she often wondered how it could even be considered work. The weather patterns were never too complex: partially cloudy, cloudy with rain, cloudy without, or clear.

_And snow._

Right, and snow. Anyway, dawn was still an hour off, but she wasn't going to get anymore sleep. With a sigh, she rolled out of bed and went to the kitchen, glumly scanning the cupboards for something to eat. In truth, she wasn't that hungry, but she knew if she skipped breakfast, she'd be dead tired by lunch.

_Forget it, I'll just go for a fly real quick and come back to eat something._

Her thirst for the sky had kept her awake nearly all night, and now finally she would satiate it. It had teased her while she lay in bed, taunting her with the radiance of Luna's stars and galaxies. It called to her the way the farm calls to Applejack, or the way knowledge calls to Twilight. She wanted it, she needed it, and now she'd ravish it for the millionth time.

She opened the door, stretching her wings in anticipation of flying in the cool morning air – and jumped when instead of the dark sky, she saw a pair of off-kilter yellow eyes. One focused on her, the other on the top of her right ear. Rainbow's yelp of surprise gave way to a smile as she recognized everypony's favorite mailmare. Looked like she was getting a head start today. Either that, or she'd misread the clock.

"Hiya Rainbow!" the grey pegasus chirped happily.

"Hey Der-...Ditzy. Kinda early today aren't ya?" Dash asked, careful not to call her by the wrong name*. No sane pony parents would ever curse their foal with a name like Derpy.

"Yeah, it's my daughters birthday today, but I couldn't get the day off, so I'm getting my work done early to spend the day with her!"

Dash smiled, realizing how tough it must be to raise a foal on your own. Even through her work she made time for her daughter. Rainbow found herself wishing her own mother had done more of the same.

"Anyway, I brought you a letter!" she added happily, digging through her bag and soon reappearing with a single envelope with the Wonderbolts logo on the front.

Rainbow nearly had a heart attack.

The Wonderbolts never send _out_ correspondence letters; they only answered _after_you've written to them 26 consecutive times about how much you would bring to the team.

She took the letter and stared at it, as if it were too precious to open. Ditzy bid her goodbye and went on her route, though Dash barely acknowledged her leaving. She had forgotten all about her pre-dawn flight and sat down on her front steps, the envelope still unopened in front of her.

_What could it say? Congrats Rainbow, you're awesome enough to be a Wonderbolt! Buck yea! But what if its like, yeah, sonic rainbooms are cool and all, but they're not Wonderbolts cool, you know? _

During her inner monologue, she had forgotten that she could simply open the letter, and put her fears and fantasies to rest.

With nervous hooves, she opened the letter and carefully scanned the words, each line nearing the purpose of the letter sent chills down her spine before she got to the most important lines:

...To extend to you an **invitation** to the **Wonderbolts** training camp for **tryouts**...

Rainbow stared at the letter in disbelief. Sure, the sonic rainboom at the royal wedding, which the Wonderbolts had actually been conscious for, was bound to raise some eyebrows. And, during a quick conversation at the dance, Soarin had hinted heavily that they were thinking of doing some recruiting. She'd never really believed it could happen. Now, with the letter in her hooves, a grin forced itself across her lips and stretched into a wide smile. That still wasn't enough, as her jubilation escaped in a loud shout for joy.

She put the letter back inside and stretched her wings briefly before jumping from her cloud home and into the crisp dawn air. She couldn't believe it. She finally had the chance to become a Wonderbolt!

She skimmed the treetops, the wide smile still plastered across her face. She wanted to shout it from the rooftops! Everypony had to know. However, telling everyone town cryer style this early would probably be somewhat frowned upon since everypony was most likely still asleep.

Then she remembered a certain earth pony family that made a habit of being awake at ungodly hours. In her zeal, Rainbow turned sharply, too sharply. A stray wind gust twisted her already tense wing out of place, resulting in an immediate descent into a rather stiff pine tree.

Most would consider hitting every branch on the way down an accomplishment, but Rainbow saw it simply as a boring, if painful, regularity. Once the world stopped spinning, Rainbow shook her head, tentatively rotating her sore wing. There were no twinges or alarming pops, so it seemed there wasn't any damage.

Working the pain away, and spitting out a mouthful of bark, she took off towards Sweet Apple Acres.

A short, yet controlled flight through the still dawn air ended with Rainbow spotting the outline of a certain red stallion pulling a plow. She grinned, flying towards him, sure she hadn't noticed her above him. Gently, she lowered her hover until Mac felt four light hooves resting on his broad back. Her added weight didn't even break his stride.

"Hey Big." she cooed, lowering her lips to his cheek.

They've been together for over a month, though they haven't really had time to 'go public' with their relationship, mainly because they didn't go to restaurants or any usual date spots; that wasn't Rainbow's style. She just liked being with him, no matter what they did. In a way, this was a good thing, since the farm took up the bulk of his time. When he was able to get away, he was usually too worn out to do much. It led to a lot of cuddle time, but not much else, and Rainbow was...getting antsy, lets say to express her feelings for Mac physically.

"Hey Rainbow. You're up early." he said, still a bit red from her display of affection. He'd had mares before her, but something about her was different. Unlike the others, the novelty wasn't wearing off. In fact, every day he spent with her, only left him wanting to spend more.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep. Remember how I met Soarin again at Shining Armor's wedding?" she asked, still traveling slowly across the field on his back.

"Eeyup, you mentioned it."

He would have accompanied her as her plus one, but with AJ already attending, the farm couldn't mind itself. Still, it was just as well with him, he wasn't much for formal events anyway.

"Well, remember how I said he told me about the tryouts that were coming up?"

"Eeyup."

"Well guess what I got in the mail today!" Rainbow squealed, almost unable to contain her excitement.

Mac stopped pulling the plow and turned his head to her with a smile, expecting good news by her tone alone.

"They want me to tryout for the Wonderbolts!" she nearly shouted, her wings flared proudly, still standing atop his back.

"Thats great Rainbow! Ah knew they couldn't do without you!"

"I know! I always knew this would happen!" she crowed, throwing her forelegs around Mac's neck, hugging him tightly and giving him one more kiss on the cheek.

"Where's AJ?" she asked once she released him.

The stallion jerked his head toward the center of the property. "She's in th' barn."

Rainbow stood from Mac's back and took flight, leaving him to continue his chores. She landed near the open barn doors as she spied Applejack and Applebloom jarring various apple preserves, no doubt in an attempt to earn a related cutie mark.

"Howdy Rainbow!" Applejack called, taking a break and trusting Applebloom to safely continue the work.

"What in the hay are you doin' up so early?" she asked taking off her hat and wiping the sweat from her brow.

"I couldn't sleep," Dash said breathlessly. "You'll never believe this. I got an invitation to the Wonderbolts' training camp!"

"That's amazing Rainbow!"

"I know!" she gushed, hopping happily on her hooves.

"Ah'm happy for ya! When's the tryouts?"

"In two weeks!"

"We'll be sure to hire some help ta watch the farm so we can watch you!"

Dash's excitement began to fade, "Uh...you guys want to watch me?"

"Of course we do! Ah'm sure the other girls'll want ta be there ta support ya too! This is your _dream_, remember?" AJ teased with a playful hoof to the shoulder.

"Yeah...It didn't say whether or not it was open to the public..." Dash began softly. "But even if it isn't, I know you guys would be there if you could!" she added, trying to salvage Applejack's sentiment.

"Well, Ah suppose that's okay. We know you'll blow them away!" AJ answered

"Wow, you're gonna be a Wonderbolt?" Applebloom said, having just joined the conversation.

"You better believe it, kid!"

"Scotaloo's gonna blow a gasket!"

Dash smiled, she knew her number one fan would be over the moon to hear her news. She still had so many ponies to tell! She didn't get a chance to lament over that fact, however; her stomach chose the brief silence as a perfect opportunity to growl.

"We still got some breakfast left if you're hungry." Applejack said, knowing she didn't even have to ask if Rainbow was going to take her up on the offer.

Dash nodded before the earth pony had even finished. "Thanks!" she said, before spreading her wings and zipping out of the barn. The wake of her passing nearly blew Applejack's hat off her head.

Applejack chuckled to herself as she watched the pegasus go. That was certainly the most energetic she'd ever seen her in the morning.

Rainbow stumbled out of Applejack's kitchen, half-regretting that extra serving of apple pancakes, while at the same time wishing there had been more.

Who else would be awake to hear her news? After a moment, a perfectly obvious answer occurred to her.

_Fluttershy! She's always up early taking care of her animals!_

Rainbow flew out of an open window in Applejack's kitchen, despite Granny Smith's shouts of protest, and out towards the edge of the Everfree forest.

* * *

It turned out that Rainbow's pegasus friend was in a similar situation. She hadn't been able to sleep that night either, although for completely different reasons.

Over the last few months, she'd been learning quite a bit about being more assertive, and standing up for herself. But he situation she was finding herself so nervous about had nothing to do with that. No, this scenario was much more frightening. There was way more on the line than just having somepony else speak for her.

The cottage suddenly shook as something slammed into her bottom floor, sending a burst of adrenaline through the pegasus' veins. She bit back a squeal of terror and poked her head over the edge of the loft, half-expecting a timber wolf, or a manticore, or even a-

Oh. It was just Rainbow Dash.

"Fluttershy!" Dash called, shaking the leaves from her mane. "You'll never guess what happened today!"

Though it was early, the timid pegasus was already wide awake, fluttering down to Rainbow's level.

"What happened?"

"I got a letter from the Wonderbolts!" Dash squealed. "Can you believe it? They want me to come to their training camp!"

"Wow! That's great Rainbow!" Fluttershy congratulated. She was happy for her oldest friend, but was glad to see her for another reason.

If anypony could give her some help with her problem, it would be her. She was never afraid to say what she thought!

"I know!" Dash smiled, "So what're you doing up so early?"

"Oh, uhm...I couldn't sleep." she admitted.

"Me neither, you got animals to take care of or something?"

"Oh no, I..." What _was_ she doing? She knew she could tell Rainbow anything, and she _was _most likely to know what to do in such a situation.

Fluttershy sighed. "Rainbow, have you ever...uhm...wanted to tell somepony something, but were too afraid of how they'd react to do it?"

Rainbow had known her long enough to realize when she had a crush. She cut right to the chase.

"Who is he?" she smiled.

Fluttershy blushed madly. She wasn't ready to admit that.

"I uhm...I don't really..."

Rainbow's sharp grin softened, recalling how hard things like this were for her soft spoken pal.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me." she said comfortingly, "So you're afraid to tell this guy you like him, huh?" she deduced.

Fluttershy stayed silent, yet nodded.

"You're an amazing mare Fluttershy, and whoever he is, he'd be _lucky _to have you around!"

Rainbow took a step toward her friend, putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

"Don't let how he'll react keep you from telling this guy how you feel. Sure, he might not return your feelings, but there is just as much chance he could like you too!"

Fluttershy smiled, thanking Celestia she had a friend like Rainbow to help her improve herself.

"Thanks Rainbow! I'm really happy you get a chance to be a Wonderbolt, I know how much it means to you."

Dash grinned after a hug from her friend as she headed towards the door. After all, the day had just started, and she had more friends to inform of the good news!

"Thanks Fluttershy. See ya!"

Fluttershy closed her door and went to the kitchen to feed Angel, thinking about Rainbow's advice.

_Rainbow is right. I should just tell him the next time I see him! As long as nopony else is around...that is...No! The next time you see Big Macintosh, you're going to tell him how you feel, and that's that!_

* * *

*Regardless of whichever name you choose to address our wall-eyed muffin queen, I think we can all agree there is no way any sane, loving pony parents would name their daughter Derpy. Although Ditzy isn't much better... But Faust has decreed that either name is acceptable.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Good News Everyone!

"Pinkie! Guess what?" Rainbow exclaimed excitedly, as she hovered over the earth pony opening the sweets shop.

"The princesses have decided to make pie the official party pastry, thus making cake obsolete and forever changing the face of parties as we know them!" Pinkie gasped, "Oh Rainbow that's horrible! I love cake! Does it include cupcakes? I'll need to work on my pies. Maybe I can make a cake pie? A cake inside a pie? What about a cake within a cake?"

"Uh...no." Rainbow answered slowly, redirecting the often rambling train of thought of her pastry making friend. "I got invited to the Wonderbolt tryouts!"

Pinkie instantly recognized how huge this news was, and reacted appropriately.

"Really? That's awesome Dashie! Hang on, I'll be right back with the party cannon!" Pinkie began happily.

"No time! I have to tell Rarity and Twilight before work!" she said as she zipped off to Rarity's boutique. The town below her was just waking up as she dove into her bedroom window, crashing loudly into her mannequins and startling the fashionista nearly to death.

"For heaven's sake Rainbow Dash, there's such a thing as knocking, you know!" Rarity spat indignantly, having been roused from a dead sleep by her friends intrusion.

"No time for doors Rarity! I got invited to Wonderbolt tryouts!" she squealed happily.

Even though it was far too early for the well groomed unicorn to express the kind of emotion the situation warranted, she still managed a sincere congrats before throwing her sheets back over her head as Rainbow left to go inform Twilight of the good news.

The pegasus rocketed through town, entering the library through Twilight's bedroom window, which she'd wisely learned to keep open in case Rainbow ever dropped by. Gracefully fluttering through her window, she noticed both Spike and Twilight still asleep. Smiling deviously, Dash hovered over Twilight's sleeping form, gently lowering herself over her until she was astride Twilight on her bed. Rainbow leaned in close, really close to Twilight, staring her dead in the eye, waiting for her to wake up and holding back laughter at how she'd react to her.

After a moment, Dash got bored and decided to expedite matters with a quiet cough. A pair of lavender eyes flickered open beneath her, blinking blearily before focusing on her face. Twilight yelped in surprise and scrambled backwards, and promptly fell out of bed to the sound of Dash's laughter.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?" Twilight snarled, embarrassed she'd reacted just the way Rainbow wanted her to.

"I dunno...I just know it's funny..." she gasped between breaths, before hearing Twilight threaten to start locking her windows again.

"Okay, I'm sorry Twilight, its just that I got a really important letter today!"

Rainbow jumped off Twilights bed as she began to make it using her magic. "That's great Rainbow! What's it about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just that the Wonderbolts want me to try out for the team!"

Twilight's eyes lit up. "That's great Rainbow! I'm proud of you!"

"Me too!" she added cockily.

"You two want to take girl time somewhere else?" A tired voice moaned from his woven basket.

Twilight sighed, "C'mon, cranky pants gets upset when he doesn't get a full eight." They exited to the main room of the library so as not to disturb any more sleeping assistants.

"So is it a tryout just for you, or is it a group of ponies trying for a spot?" Twilight asked, putting on some breakfast tea.

"I dunno, the letter didn't say. All I know is I have a shot, and I'm gonna take it!"

"I'm glad you're so confident Rainbow, can we come watch you tryout?" she asked, echoing Applejack's sentiment.

Rainbow swallowed nervously, "I'm not sure if it's open to the public, but I'll let you guys know if it is."

"Oh. Well that's fine, we know you'll do great even if we can't be there for you personally."

Rainbow blushed. She may not have shown her mushy side to her friends, but she was certainly glad she had them. She loved them all, and they supported her in everything she did.

"Yeah, I know you guys are rooting for me." she smiled back as Twilight rooted around in her cupboard for her kettle.

"The tea will be ready in a few minutes, if you can stay." Twilight said, turning to her.

"Nah, I gotta get to work. Raincheck?"

Twilight nodded with a smile. "Sure. See ya Rainbow!"

"Later Twilight!"

Rainbow cruised along the rooftops on her way to work before she spotted a group of fillies walking to school, a certain orange filly with a purple mane stuck out like a sore hoof between her white and off-yellow friends. Dash descended quietly upon the helpless girls, circling them like an eagle circles the fields in which it hunts. Locking onto her target, she began a dive straight out of the sun, so even if they did spot her, they wouldn't see who it is until it's too late.

* * *

"Nah uh, there's no way a pony like Rarity beat up six changelings! I bet Rainbow beat up like, twenty!"

"Yes huh! My sister used her magic and took them all on! I bet she even saved Rainbow Dash!" Sweetie Belle shot back.

"Now, you two need ta calm down. Ain't nopony kicked more flank than Applejack anyhow."

As the three devolved into a shouting match, Applebloom noticed Scootaloo's shadow getting bigger.

"Uh, Scoots...?" she pointed a hoof towards her ever enlarging shadow before the frightened filly looked toward the source, the outline of some winged beast heading straight towards her.

She let out a terrified scream as the three of them took off towards the schoolhouse.

"The hawk is back! Don't let it eat me!" she cried, flapping her wings in a vain attempt to fly.

Try as she might, Scootaloo couldn't outrun the creature, as it wrapped its cold, scaly hooves around-

_Hooves?_Scootaloo thought, not feeling the talons of a bird of prey gripping her tightly. Instead she noticed a set of cyan hooves wrapped firmly around her belly.

"You worry too much kid! Hawks don't eat ponies!" Rainbow assured her, though Scootaloo had been harassed by such a bird that seemed to mistake her for another kind of flightless animal.

"Thats what you think!" she shouted back happily, as Rainbow flew her the rest of the way to school.

"Guess what squirt?" Dash posed, dropping Scootaloo out in front of the schoolhouse where a few other pony parents were leaving their children.

"What?" she asked, beaming. Rainbows quick ride having, without a doubt, made her morning.

"I'm gonna be a Wonderbolt!"

"You are?" the young filly gasped. "That's incredible Rainbow! I want to be a Wonderbolt one day too!"

Dash smiled, mussing her purple mane before responding. "I know kid, and you will be one day. Just as soon as you start getting those wings of yours to cooperate."

"I practice one hundred flaps every night like you said, forwards and backwards!"

"Stay with it Scoots, you'll be flying in no time."

"I know! I hope I start soon!" she said happily as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle caught up to her, the bell signaling the start of the school day ringing loudly above them.

"All right, get to school squirts, and don't give Cheerilee too much of a headache today." she smiled as they ran in. Only then did Dash realize her little playtime with her number one fan had made her late for work! If she flew as fast as she could, she still might make it in time. Her rainbow contrail flowing behind her, she burst into the weather team HQ without a minute to spare, though she was quite tired from the flight.

"I'm not late...Am I?" she panted as her supervisor came out of his office. An older brown stallion with a faded blond mane, his cutie mark was a cloud with the sun obscured by it.

He glanced at the clock: 9 am, and not a minute more.

"Technically." he shot. "How was your vacation?" he asked, this being her first day back at work since her and Mac's little adventure.

"Interesting," she answered.

"You know, one day you _will_be late, and when you are, I'll be waiting." he added in a most unamused tone. Rainbow didn't blame him for being such a jerk. If she were his age, and stuck as the supervisor of a small town weather team, she'd hate life too!

Dash always knew she was destined for bigger and better, and being the element of loyalty was just another thing that helped prove this to herself, and helped give her such unwavering confidence in the face of adversity.

"Well I hope you brought a book, 'cause I haven't been late since I started!" she answered confidently, having caught her breath.

"Whatever. Here's your sector and forecast, get to work." He slapped a page of instructions on the floor before her and stomped back to his office.

Rainbow took the sheet and began splitting up the work between her subordinates, leaving what was left for herself.

After an easy days work, she set out to do the one thing she'd had on her mind all day: practice. She would fly until her wings fell out from above her, she'd go to bed tired, and wake up sore, only if it meant she could finally reach her lofty goal of flying glory.

Near her house was plenty of open sky, but she much preferred the airspace over Sweet Apple Acres. Especially after Mac had covered for her when AJ asked whether or not she had lost any cattle. Since he took the blame for the lost cattle, he was technically correct in saying _Rainbow_didn't lose any cattle. The best kind of correct.

Mac was usually in a far field, but AJ could usually be found near the house or the barn during the afternoon, and was always glad to watch her practice and tell her what she thought of her moves. As she flew over, she saw neither hide nor hair of Big Mac or Applejack.

_Huh, maybe they went into town or something._she thought, circling the farm. She began her session behind the setting sun, pulling every maneuver, turn, twist and roll as sharply and efficiently as she could. Stunt flying was about precision, and no one was more precise when it came to flying, than Rainbow Dash. Though the twilight hours cooled the air, Dash was still sweaty by the time she decided to call it quits; well into the night.

As she flew away, she recalled never having seen Mac or AJ return home. It was unusual for them to be out later than sundown, but they were adults, and they could take care of themselves.

Rainbow's wings ached, but she was satisfied with the work she had put in today. As she soared to her house, she couldn't wait to feel the warm shower water wash away the sweat and dirt of the day.

She landed softly on her porch and entered her darkened house. After lighting her bedroom and bathroom, she quickly fetched a grey raincloud from the cabinet below the sink and lit the small gas flame that heated the water within the cloud. As she got ready to clean up, she closed the door out of habit, even though she lived only with a tortoise.

After a few minutes, Rainbow allowed the cloud to begin raining its hot water as she stepped into the shower.

* * *

_There's the place._he thought, sneaking up toward the floating cloud house, he paused directly beneath it and looked around. He didn't need to be seen. That would jeopardize the mission. He reached into his bag and retrieved a rope ladder with a grappling hook on the end, except this hook was made from the same packed clouds as Rainbow's house, allowing it to safely hook onto the clouds and support a pegasi or non-pegasus using a lightness potion. He took the rope and twirled it a few times to build up momentum before hooking it into the foundation of the house on the first try.

He quickly climbed to the houses porch and peered inside. Everything seemed dark, and it looked like nopony was home. He pushed open the door softly before seeing light from under the bedroom door.

_She is home. Dang. Oh well, at least I can still surprise her!_he thought going silently down the hallway and pushing the door open. She was taking a shower, the steam was pouring out of the cracked bathroom door. He crept silently into her room, choosing a perfect place to lie in wait for his unsuspecting prey. He crawled on top of the bed and waited patiently for her to emerge, his trap set.

* * *

Rainbow always felt better after a nice hot shower. Plus she loved the way her new shampoo smelled. She turned off the cloud and ripped the curtains aside with one foreleg, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her flank and torso, and one around her mane. She opened the door and nearly screamed in surprise. A fresh from the fields Big Macintosh laid, pin-up style on her bed. The scene was almost too much.

"Howdy."

Rainbow laughed nearly to the point of tears. She knew Mac was doing this for her, and made sure not to laugh at him for too much longer. Ordinarily, he was quite good at romantic gestures that didn't come off as cheesy, but every now and then, he'd do something like this.

"Hey there cowcolt." she said after regaining her composure.

"Ah thought Ah'd surprise ya after Ah saw ya this mornin'. Ah know we haven't had a lot of time ta see each other..." he began, he was no stranger to the fact that Rainbow wanted to do a little more than kiss. In fact, he'd be lying if he said he hadn't felt the same way, but his daily chores had to be done, and by the time they were, either she was asleep, or he was too tired to do anything but sleep for the next days work. "Ah got Applejack ta watch the farm for the whole night." he said smiling back at her.

Rainbow bit her bottom lip slightly, returning a much more seductive smile. "Really?"

"Eeyup. Its just me and you tonight. Ah was gonna surprise ya, but the fella at the potion shop had to brew another batch of the lightness potion Ah need not ta fall out of your house. It took all day, but Ah went straight into town as soon as my chores were done." he added, as Dash threw the towel on her head over him.

"So wait a second, you mean you went from being at the farm, into town, and then back here?"

"Eeyup." he answered confidently.

"And the first thing you do when you get here is lay your grossness on my bed?" she accused, realizing how dirty he was upon closer inspection.

Mac turned to her calmly and took off his yoke, leaning it against the bed frame. "Eeyup. What are you gonna do about it?" he asked in a fake serious tone.

Rainbow grinned. She loved it when he did this. Dash threw her last towel over Mac's head and turned her rear towards him. He pulled his head from underneath the towel in time to see her staring back at him playfully.

"You aren't staying in my bed like that. You need a shower, so come on." Rainbow beckoned, inviting him into the bathroom as he got off the bed, strode slowly next to her, and shut the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- To My Number One Fan

Rainbow had no trouble sleeping last night. It could have been due to a lessening of her anxiety concerning the Wonderbolts…or it could have been because of the extra, yet long awaited "exercise" between her and Mac. Twice in the shower, and one more time on her bed. It was everything she had hoped their first intimate night to be, certainly worth the wait in her mind.

Dash was exhausted, but in a good way. Sure she was a bit sore from her training yesterday, but she knew if she wanted to be a Wonderbolt, she would need to work through the stiffness and the sore muscles. She rolled over, facing Mac as one of his forelegs was still casually wrapped around her. She knew she could probably spare a few more minutes of comfort. She dug her cheek into his chest and began to drift back to sleep before a knock at her door denied her any additional rest.

_Oh come on, Derpy! Your daughter's birthday can't be today_ and _yesterday! _she thought, grudgingly removing herself from her warm bed, assuming the mailmare had a delivery of some kind that couldn't be left in her mailbox.

Flinging the door open with an unamused glare, she found Fluttershy waiting outside. Her expression instantly softened, replaced by a curiosity for the nature of the visit.

"Fluttershy? What's up?" she yawned, inviting her in.

They sat down on the couch in her living room as Rainbow fought to keep her eyes open.

"Well, I thought about what you said yesterday, and I decided I'm going to go for it." she said with as much pride in herself as she could muster.

Rainbow smiled, she loved to see her foalhood friend happy, especially since she Dash couldn't recall a time when Fluttershy even had a coltfriend. In fact, she was probably still a virgin! Still, Rainbow was glad to see her buddy taking charge of her romantic life.

"That's awesome Fluttershy! Ready to tell me who the lucky stallion is yet?" Rainbow asked, shifting on the couch to a more comfortable position.

"Uhm...I was thinking I'd wait till I knew how he felt before I named any names." she admitted.

A stirring from her room reminded Dash that their conversation had roused a sleeping stallion, ready to head back to the farm to start his chores. Macintosh wandered down the long hallway into the living room where he had heard the voices of other mares.

"Mornin' Ms. Fluttershy." he said cordially, his yoke already on and ready to be hitched to a plow.

The timid pegasus' cheeks flushed bright red as AJ's brother turned to the half asleep Rainbow on the cloud couch beside her.

"Ya'll want anythin' for breakfast?" he asked.

"Uhm...no thanks, I have to get going!" Fluttershy said quickly before fleeing the house as thought she'd just seen a manticore.

After a brief silence, Rainbow asked "What do you think that was about?"

"Couldn't tell ya." Mac said, turning back to the kitchen.

* * *

Fluttershy zipped back to her cottage faster than she had ever flown before. She was certainly not expecting to see her crush at Rainbow's house so early! She had gone early to avoid any other ponies.

_I wonder what he was doing there so early?_ she thought naively. _Maybe she still owed them some bits for the windows?_

Still, she would make Rainbow proud, and tell Mac just how she felt! She just needed some time to compose herself for such a big announcement, even if it was to one pony. It just may take a week. Or two.

* * *

Rainbow had that day off, thankfully. More time for her to practice, and sharpen her routine. Mac had left to start on his chores, but mentioned he would stop back by to watch her practice. A full twelve hour session left her quite hungry, with only a short lunch break to tide her over. Macintosh appeared below her house as she settled near him, but not before executing a perfect stall into a double roll.

"Lookin' good, _Dashie_." Mac teased.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, "I better not catch that name come out of your mouth again."

"Pinkie Pie came by the farm today. Needed more apples for Sugar Cube Corner." he grinned, "She stayed and had a little chat about some nicknames she has for her friends."

"You heard what I said. I better not hear _Dashie_come across those lips again." she threatened.

"Oh yeah? Or what?"

Rainbow grinned, she knew exactly what kind of ransom would stop Mac in his tracks. "See this?" she asked, waving a foreleg over herself.

"It's off limits if I hear that name again."

Mac smiled, "Fair 'nuff, no need to get drastic. So what have you been workin' on?"

"Check it out!" she called taking flight and starting her routine.

Macintosh watched as the object of his affection danced gracefully on the winds. Back in Prairieville, he wasn't sure what exactly attracted him to her in the first place, but as time went on, he thought he realized why he felt the way he did about her. It was her unbridled passion for the air. It was similar to how he felt about the farm. He was proud of it, and it was his life, just as flying was Rainbow's.

He loved the way her eyes shined like Luna's full moon when she was in the sky. He wished he could fly with her, to soar among the clouds like she did, right beside her. However, he knew his limitations as an earth pony. He'd give the very strength his father bestowed upon him to be in Rainbow's element, to fly with her, and be with her always, be it in the heavens, or on the earth.

Once she finished her routine, she landed next to him softly. "Well?" she panted. "Whaddya think?"

"Ah think the Wonderbolts won't know what hit them." he assured her.

Rainbow stepped closer to him, nuzzling his chest. Even though he was still sweaty from the fields, she didn't mind. In fact, that was one of the things she liked about him. He wasn't afraid to get his hooves dirty.

"Well, ya still got a few weeks ta train. Think you can improve what you got so far?" Mac asked, returning her affection.

"If you think it's perfect now, wait till I make the squad." she shot back confidently.

"You know...Applejack probably wouldn't wonder where I am for another...hour or so." he smiled deviously.

"Is that right?" Rainbow asked, taking his hint. "Well, the house is right there...and you're still dirty from the fields aren't ya?"

"Eeyup. And Ah still got some of that special juice that lets me visit your house without fallin' through th' floor."

"Well, I suppose I could let you shower up at my place...but I'm running low on rainclouds, so we'll have to share."

Mac smiled, "It wasn't a problem last time."

As if on queue, Rainbow's stomach growled loudly, ruining the moment entirely, much to Mac's amusement.

"I'm gonna need you to take care of that."

"Now Ah gotta feed ya too?"

Dash grinned. "Eeyup."

* * *

The two weeks seemed to pass too quickly for Rainbow. Every day she practiced, and every day drew her nearer to the start of tryouts. Her form was perfect, her moves were precise, Dash could think of nothing else she could improve upon! She was the fastest flier in Equestria, after all. The only pegasus ever to attempt and perform a sonic rainboom. What did she have to worry about?

Still, the lump in her throat didn't care how confident she acted, it refused to retreat. The rest of her friends gathered outside Sugarcube Corner, just after her good luck party. It turned out the tryouts were invite only. Apparently the Wonderbolts had more than their share of secrets to their performances. Dash had even heard the new recruits have to sign contracts pledging not to reveal any and all secret techniques or maneuvers under penalty of _death_. Some of that was probably exaggeration, but still, they clearly meant business.

"We know you'll come back a Wonderbolt, Sugarcube!" Applejack chimed happily.

Rainbow blushed. Sure, she loved unending praise as much as the next pegasus (false, loved it more), but she had heard everything they were saying a million times before.

"Yeah," she agreed, "I'm sorry you guys couldn't come with, but I'm glad you could all see me off."

"We wouldn't miss it Dashie! Just wait until you try your victory cake! Who do you think would taste better as a cake, Spitfire or Soarin?" Pinkie asked, bouncing happily around the group.

"Surprise me." Dash answered.

After a brief silence, Twilight spoke up "Well, good luck Rainbow! When will you be coming back?"

"I'll be back late tomorrow night." she answered, "The tryouts last a week, starting at five a.m. and ending at seven."

"Five a.m.? My word, with the commute to Cloudsdale, that doesn't leave you much time for anything else." Rarity commented, knowing if anypony valued sleep as much as she did, it was Rainbow.

"Yeah, but it's cool, I didn't have any more vacation days, so I just quit my job." she answered with the same inflection one would use to respond to a 'hello' on the street.

"You what?" they gasped in unison.

Rainbow cast them a look of confusion. "What's the big deal? I won't need to buck clouds anymore when I'm a Wonderbolt!"

The rest of her friends didn't want to rain on her confidence parade, but...

"Well...have ya ever considered what you'd do if...fer some reason...ya...uh...Didn't make it?" Applejack asked quietly, trying to get her sometimes single minded pal to see the other side of the coin.

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" Dash shot back indignantly.

"Rainbow, she didn't mean it like that, it's just...It probably would have been a better idea to wait until you _knew _you made the team to quit your job." Twilight explained, stepping towards her.

Rainbow's confidence bordered on arrogance as she assured her friends she knew what she was doing. The sun began to set on what could have been Dash's final day in Ponyville as a non-Wonderbolt. She hugged every one of her friends goodbye, as she would be out of town before any of them (save Applejack) would be awake. A quick flight back to her place put her back on the porch, collecting the mail that had been delivered _on time _that day.

Just more junk mail and bills, though a silver lining in the daily mail, her newest issue of Stunt Flyers Monthly had arrived.

Spitfire and Soarin stared confidently back at her from the cover, both mid flight in their uniforms with the rest of the Wonderbolts flying in formation behind them. The header screamed:_ The Wonderbolts are ready for new recruits! Do YOU have what it takes to rule the skies?_

Rainbow smiled, flicking between the deep green eyes of Soarin, the captain of squad One, and the fiery intensity of Spitfire's amber orbs, the captain of squad Alpha. Why they chose the designations that way, she hadn't the slightest, but would be sure to ask them the next morning.

Stepping inside her darkened house, she noticed something was amiss. The blanket she usually kept on the couch was now on the floor, as if someone, _or something _had been sleeping on it. A soft rustle from her bedroom drew her attention. Her ears were now standing straight out, sensitive to any out of place noise. Slowly, she began to walk towards her room, swearing if Macintosh was trying to surprise her again, he'd have to better than this!

Rainbow paused right outside her bedroom door, listening intently to any sounds coming from beyond. She heard nothing for a minute, then flung her door open, an accusing hoof pointed at where she believed the intruder to be.

"Gotcha ya big red...Scootaloo?"

The orange filly nearly jumped out of her skin when her hero had burst through the door. Rainbow had walked in on her seated in front of the mirror, in a black leather coat Dash recognized as her old Junior Speedsters jacket.

"OhmygoshI'msosorryRainbowIdidn'tmeanto-"

"Slow down squirt." Rainbow said calmly, trotting over to her bed and laying on it. Her calm tone put the young filly at ease, relived to not be in trouble with her idol.

"Do your parents* know you're here?"

Scootaloo looked away in shame, "Not exactly...they think I'm with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle at the clubhouse..."

_Lying to your folks to go hang with somepony your parents didn't want you around...she's more like me than I thought._

Rainbow knew Scootaloo's folks didn't exactly like her. Despite having saved the entire kingdom on more than one occasion, and even personally rescued their daughter from a few harrowing situations, some ponies just couldn't be reasoned with, no matter how many times you save their sorry flanks, indirectly or otherwise.

"So what _are _you doing here?"

"I heard you were leaving for Wonderbolts tryouts tomorrow. I just wanted to tell you good luck, but you weren't home and your door was unlocked. I wanted to tell you at your party, but my parents wouldn't let me go." Scootaloo lamented. She supposed they meant well, but their overprotectiveness got old rather quickly.

Rainbow smiled warmly from her bed, turning over on her side to face the young filly still clad in her jacket, propping her head up on her hoof.

"Thanks Scoots, that means a lot." Annoying as she could be sometimes, deep down, Rainbow was glad to have somepony who had confidence in her abilities, even when she wasn't so sure.

"Wait a second, you can't fly yet!" Dash recalled, "How did you even make it up here?"

Scootaloo shot her a confused stare, "You know you have a rope ladder hanging off your house, right?"

"Ah, right. I see you like my old jacket."

Scootaloo quickly removed it, forgetting she had been posing in the mirror with it before she was surprised.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to go through your stuff, I just saw it in your closet and-"

"It's okay, kid, I'm not mad at you." Dash assured, hovering over to her, and putting it back over her shoulders.

"It looks good on you." Rainbow commented as they looked at each other in the mirror.

"You think so?"

"Eeyup." It appeared as though Mac's mannerisms were beginning to rub off on her. More than a little embarrassed at letting that slip, she decided somepony else might make better use of her old jacket than it would collecting dust in her closet.

"I want you to have it."

Scootaloo gasped, turning to face Dash. "You...you mean it?"

"I sure do. The Junior Speedsters was the first squad I ever tried out for."

"You made the team on your first try?"

"That's right, and when you go to flight school, you'll have the same chance!" Dash added.

Scootaloo's expression dropped significantly. It appeared as though Rainbow had struck a nerve.

"What's the matter?" Dash asked in a motherly tone.

"Well...my parents aren't sure if they can afford to send me to flight school in Cloudsdale."

Rainbow was horrified. How could Scootaloo call herself a pegasus without having at least attempted flight school?

"You...can't afford it?" Dash started, "But they provide everything for you, what...how could you not..."

Tears began to well in the once bright eyes of the young pegasus. Rainbow ceased questioning her immediately and instead set about improving her mood.

"Hey now, there's no crying in this cloud house." she whispered comfortingly, drawing Scootaloo in for a hug.

"If your folks can't afford to send you to learn to fly the right way, then I'll teach you."

The teary eyed filly's mood shifted in an instant. "You will?"

"You bet, as soon as you're old enough, we'll start."

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou, Rainbow!" she shouted, going in for another hug.

"No problem kid, but I need to get you home so I can get some rest." Dash said, walking her to her front door and stepping outside into the crisp night air.

"Hop on, I'll give you a lift." she said kneeling in front of her.

"Everypony at school is gonna be so jealous of my new jacket!" Scootaloo chirped happily, hopping onto Rainbow's back.

Rainbow smiled, making sure her cargo was secure before taking off into the sky.

A short trip over Ponyville brought her to the few neighborhoods the small town had.

"Um...Rainbow?" Scootaloo asked, "Do you think you could drop me off a few blocks away, so my folks will think I was where I said I would be?"

"Sure kid, I'll cover for ya." she responded, landing a few houses away from where she was told Scootaloo lived.

"Thanks for the jacket! I'm never taking it off!"

Dash grinned as her number one fan bid her goodbye and took off down the street to her house.

Rainbow flew back to her home, entering quickly and staring longingly at her bed.

_Not yet. _she thought going to her nightstand and preparing for a ritual she performed before every contest, or competion, whenever she faced a challenge. She did it before she tried out for the Junior Speedsters, and before the Best Young Fliers competition. Now she would do it before the Wonderbolts tryouts. She removed from the nightstand a worn, gold locket on a thin chain. Dash set it on the bed, rubbing a hoof across its weathered surface.

"Hey Dad...tomorrow's the big day." she smiled, as though it was going to say something back to her. Pressing the small latch on the side, the locket opened to reveal a small photograph. Inside was a tall, deep blue pegasus stallion with a steel mane, a foreleg around a beautiful mare with a cyan coat and magenta mane and eyes. Her mother lived in Cloudsdale, but her father...he had died when she was just a filly. It was an accident; nopony was to blame. No pegasi would ever willingly enter a thunderstorm, but as an instructor at the flight school, he was responsible for his students, even the foolhardiest among them.

One had flown into a developing thunderstorm on a dare, and so it was her father, the only one brave or foolish enough to go in after him. Unfortunately, neither made it out alive.

_Why?_ Dash would cry, nights after her fathers passing. _Why couldn't Cloudy's dad have gone in to get him! It was his stupid kid's fault my dad is dead!_

Tears began to flow down her face as she recalled the nights she and her mother would cry, holding each other until morning. Her father supported her in everything she did, and even took her to her first Wonderbolts show. He knew how much this meant to her, and she always made it a point to talk to him before a big event.

"I know you'll be right beside me." she whimpered, glad nopony was here to see her at her most vulnerable. She flipped the locket over, revealing an inscription, in a language Rainbow wasn't entirely certain her father didn't just make up.

_Illegitimi non carborundum_

_Nonsense... _she thought, feeling the raised letters of the inscription. Still, a longing in her heart demanded to know what it said. Unfortunately, not even the learn'd Twilight Sparkle and her library treehouse could decode it. The language, as well as its creators seemed to be lost to time.

Rainbow lay herself onto her bed, draping the locket around her neck, resting it on her heart, simply to feel closer to her father.

"I'll make you proud, dad. I swear..." she yawned, tears finally drying as she fell into an easy sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- Confessions of a Ponyville Veterinarian

Macintosh waited beneath the floating home of his marefriend in the pre-dawn air. In fact, it was still dark when he arrived, but he knew Rainbow would be getting ready to leave for her tryouts soon. He hadn't had a chance to attend her good luck party, but he still wanted to make sure he saw her before she left. He tucked his thick legs beneath him as he waited patiently on the grass, his coat collecting the dew off the blades.

Soon after, he heard Rainbow's front door close, spying her multicolored mane from the ground.

"Rainbow!" he called to her as she fluttered down to him.

"Hey Big!" she said happily, Mac standing to greet her. "Came to see me off, huh?"

"Eeyup."

She smiled and nuzzled him gently, which he returned.

"Are ya nervous?"

Rainbow shot him a skeptical look. "Are you kidding? This is _me _we're talking about here."

Mac chuckled. If she wasn't as confident as she looked, she was an expert at concealing it.

"Ah know, Ah just wanted ta make sure."

"Thanks for the concern Mac, but I'll be fine."

He smiled. Her mane was wet from the shower, clinging tightly around her face and neck as her eyes somehow shone with excitement, even in the darkness. She leaned up, rearing back on her hind legs, raising herself to Mac's height and planting a deep kiss on his lips. It would be probably be the last time she would have time to see him once tryouts began, as she'd be gone all day, and back late at night.

After a bit of tongue wrestling, they broke the kiss, and she settled back onto her hooves. Dash noticed Mac was wearing a saddlebag, with a certain familiar doll haphazardly stuffed inside.

"I see I have some competition." Rainbow chuckled.

Mac pushed the doll deeper into the bag and secured the flap.

"Nothin' for you ta worry about."

She shook her head, laughing. "I better get going. Don't try anything while I'm away."

Macintosh poked her in the ribs. "Jealous, are ya?"

Both shared a quiet chuckle. "Go on," he finally said. "We'll be waiting to hear from ya." They hugged one last time before Rainbow took off toward the capital of the old Pegasi Empire.

Mac watched her go, his mind now shifted back towards his work: specifically the fact that he had already done most of it, leaving him time for an errand he had been meaning to run for a few weeks now.

Leaving the field behind, he set off toward a small cottage at the edge of the Everfree forest.

* * *

Fluttershy stirred from her the sleep from her eyes, she sat up in bed, surveying her room warily. She could have sworn she heard a knock at the door. The stray beams of the rising sun shone through her curtains as her songbird friends began to serenade the morning.

Thinking the knocks were just her imagination, she laid her head back down on her pillow, attempting to will her morning wings away.

Another knock confirmed her earlier suspicions as she sat up and looked toward the door.

"Who could that be at this hour?" she wondered aloud, throwing the blankets off herself and putting on her robe to conceal her embarrassing wing situation. Thinking it to be a Ponyville resident with a squirrel problem or having found an injured animal, she opened the door, only to reveal a large red stallion nearly blocking out the sun with his form.

Fluttershy's cheeks lit afire as she recognized the stallion before her.

"Mornin' Ms. Fluttershy," Big Macintosh said cordially. "Sorry Ah came by so early, but Ah figured you'd be able to do me a favor...if ya didn't mind." he fidgeted sheepishly.

"Oh...of course not. P-Please, come in," she stuttered, stepping back from the door to give Mac room to enter.

He had been to Fluttershy's house before, taking some of the cattle or pigs to her when they got sick. It was a working relationship, but he still found himself enjoying her company whenever he would visit. He used to have a bit of a crush on her, and Twilight as well, but with his work taking up most of his time, wistful thinking was all that ever came of his feelings. Until the cattle drive with Rainbow, anyway.

Sure, it seemed like he was attracted to quite a few of his sister's friends, but how could anypony blame him? He_was_the most eligible bachelor in town. It may have been a small, hole-in-the-wall town, but a town nonetheless.

"So...uhm, what was it you needed, Macintosh?" she asked timidly, taking a seat on her couch, fidgeting nervously with her mane.

"Well, Ah heard that you were pretty good with a needle and thread, and Ah didn't want ta bother Ms. Rarity for a favor."

"Oh. Yes, Rarity has been busy filling orders lately." she answered, blushing at his compliment.

"Anyway, Ah'd like ya to fix up my friend here." he said, producing Smarty Pants from his bag. Fluttershy recognized it as Twilight's doll from the time she went...a bit off balance, let's say.

"Twilight's doll?" she asked, taking it and placing it on her kitchen table. "Where did you get this?"

"Ah...it's a bit embarrassing..." he began, unsure of whether or not he should reveal his original plan.

"Oh, you don't have to worry, your secret's safe with me." she assured, heading up stairs to retrieve her small sewing kit.

Macintosh knew that if anypony had tight lips, it was her. _Well, Ah suppose there's no harm in it. _

"It was originally just an excuse to talk to somepony..." he said softly, as hope began to rise in Fluttershy's heart.

She smiled to herself from upstairs. "Really?"

Her heart was in her throat as she convinced herself that this was the perfect opportunity to tell Mac how she felt about him.

"Eeyup. Ah'm looking to give Twilight her doll back, Ah don't think she knows Ah have it."

"Uh huh." she added, "Mac, do you remember when I came by Rainbow's early in the morning, a few weeks ago?"

"Eeyup." he nodded, taking a seat on the couch she had been sitting on.

"Well, I went to her to get a little...confidence, to tell you something that's been on my mind f-for a while." she began faltering, as huge red flags began to raise in Mac's mind. He knew where this was going, and he was not happy about the answer he was about to give. He didn't want to hurt her, she was the sweetest pony around, and he couldn't stand to hurt somepony's feelings on purpose, but...

"What is it?" he asked cautiously, praying that maybe she just had an unusual favor to ask of him, and not what he was thinking she was about to lay on him.

"I...uhm...I..." she stammered nervously. Her tongue seemed to tie itself into knots as she reminded herself of what Rainbow had said. She deserved a pony like Mac, and there was still a shot (in her mind) that he could feel the same way!

_C'mon Fluttershy! You don't want to wonder what could have been, do you?_

She looked Mac straight in the eye and came out with her feelings.

"I like you Mac, as...more than just a friend." she said, that one sentence seeming to take an eternity to leave her lips.

_Oh no._ Mac sighed internally, _Let her down easy._

Macintosh blushed, looking away from her as he scratched his neck nervously, trying to hide how uncomfortable he felt.

"Ah...Uh..." he glanced back at her. It was clear, her heart was in his hooves. He would try his hardest not to break it.

"Here's the thing, Ah'm...kind of already seeing somepony." he said softly, but no matter how much sugar he tried to coat his rejection, it was clear that the timid pegasus was deeply embarrassed and humiliated.

"It's not that Ah don't think you aren't pretty or anything. You are! Ah actually had a crush on you for quite a while!" he admitted, trying to say anything to keep Fluttershy from hating him completely.

She was speechless. She had put her heart on the line, only to have it returned. The room began to blur slightly, and she scrubbed at her eyes, only to find her cheeks wet.

"Ah'm sorry Fluttershy..." Macintosh said softly, out of things to say to try and comfort her. The awkwardness of their silence was overwhelming.

"No...it's okay...I had my s-shot..." she said, lip trembling as she blinked a hard flush of tears from her eyes.

Mac sighed, he felt guilty as sin, though he truthfully had no reason to be. He had told her the truth! Unfortunately, as is often the case, the truth hurts.

_Ah don't think Ah've ever felt more uncomfortable._

"Who is it?" Fluttershy asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

_Ah stand corrected._

"Uhm...it's..." he paused. Rainbow and Mac hadn't told anypony about their relationship. He suspected AJ knew something was up, but she kept her mouth shut, knowing it wasn't her place to go spreading her brother's or her friend's personal life around town. Still, if she was hurt now, he imagined she'd be crushed if she knew it was her best friend and confidant he was seeing. Still, he wasn't a liar, and wasn't about to become one now.

"Rainbow Dash." he answered softly, nearly cringing in anticipation of her response.

She was silent. The tears had even managed to stop. After another awkward moment, Mac decided it was best if he took his leave.

"Well, Ah'm gonna get goin'. Thanks again for fixing Twilight's doll for me." he said weakly.

"You're welcome. I'll have it done by tomorrow." she said in an emotionless tone as she fluttered quickly upstairs and shut her bedroom door, leaving Mac downstairs.

From beyond her door, Mac could hear sobbing.

_Well now look what you did..._he thought as he left Fluttershy's cottage.

He sighed heavily as he walked back toward the farm. It wasn't his fault he and Rainbow were an item! Why should he feel guilty about that?

Still, his guilt weighed heavily on his shoulders like so many familiar barrels of apple cider. He decided then and there that he would do something to make it up to Fluttershy. Though what that something would be, he hadn't the slightest. As he walked, he realized who might be able to tell him how to make her smile again.

_Twilight._

* * *

Fluttershy's tears soaked into her pillow, wetting her mane as Angel hopped up onto her bed, trying to make her feel better.

Betrayal, anguish, loneliness, all types of feelings swarmed in her heart as she felt like doing nothing but crying. She rolled over onto her side, facing angel as he flicked the tears away from her eyes.

"How could Rainbow d-do this to m-me?" she sobbed to her pet rabbit. "I thought she was my friend."

Angel gave her a deadpan stare and folded his arms.

"I guess I should have told her I had a crush on Big Macintosh..." she admitted. The only pony that knew about her little crush was Twilight, and that was only because she had accidentally told her.

Angel held up a picture from her nightstand, one of Rainbow Dash and herself when they were fillies at flight school, shortly after they got their cutie marks.

She took it from Angel and held it close. She wasn't mad at Rainbow; how could she be? Mac liked her, and she like Mac, plain and simple. Still, she couldn't help but cry, wondering when it would be her turn to find somepony who loved her, and wanted to be with her, take her out to nice dinners, and romantic sunset picnics. When she was a model, she had all kinds of suitors come calling, but most were only interested in her because of her fame. As soon as she removed herself from the limelight, the flowers and letters stopped, and soon she was back to being the town veterinarian.

Fluttershy took Angel in her forelegs and nuzzled him close, silently crying as she fell back into a early morning slumber.

* * *

Mac knocked on the door at the base of the tree Twilight called home. After a few moments, Spike answered the door.

"Hey Big Mac!" he answered happily, wearing his pink, frilly apron. "Need a book?"

"Nope." he answered, "Ah'm looking for Twilight. Is she around?"

Spike stepped aside to let him in. "She's in her room, I'll go get her." he said hopping up the stairs to her bedroom.

Mac sat down on her couch as Twilight came down the stairs. "Hello Mac! Something I can help you with?" she asked helpfully.

"Yeah, Ah just came from Fluttershy's cottage."

Twilight thought that was a touch odd to be brought up unprovoked, but decided to keep probing.

"Okay..." she said, unsure of where this was going before she remembered her timid friend's crush.

"Well, she told me she's had a crush on me for some time." he said, in a tone a stallion being told he was wanted by a mare as pretty as Fluttershy shouldn't have used. She deduced exactly what had happened.

"You...don't like her that way?" she asked, honestly feeling the two of them would be cute together.

"It's not that, Ah think she's a beautiful mare, and she deserves somepony special...just not me." he answered, a touch of guilt still in his voice. Twilight poured herself a cup of tea before sitting down on the couch beside him.

"If you don't mind my asking...why _not_you?"

_Twice in two hours? Well Rainbow, looks like we won't be a secret for much longer..._

Mac sighed before answering. "Because...uh...Rainbow and Ah are kind of...with each other."

Twilight's eyes lit up as she sipped her tea, always happy to hear about a friend finding a special somepony.

"But that's not why Ah stopped by," he added quickly. "Ah wanted to know if you knew any way Ah could make it up to her. Ah let her down as softly as Ah could...but she still seemed pretty upset." he admitted.

"Well, she is a bit more sensitive to her feelings than most." Twilight said, taking another sip of tea. "But I do know of a way you could get on better terms with her." she said happily.

"The chicken coupe in her yard is on its last leg, she could certainly used a repair-stallion's assistance to fix it up. That, and I suggest you bring her some chocolate."

The first part made sense, but the second part seemed a bit off.

"Ah get the chicken coupe, but why the chocolate?" he asked.

Twilight laughed, thinking surely Mac of all ponies would know the way to mend a mare's broken heart.

"C'mon Mac, she's a mare isn't she? There's no problem in this world that can't be made better through chocolate." she explained.

"Ah, right, Ah knew that." he grinned, getting up to head back to the farm.

"Thank ya kindly for the help Ms. Twilight." he said striding towards the door before pausing. "If ya don't mind my askin', how did you come ta know so much about mares? You don't have a big sister you've never told us about, do ya?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, "No, I happen to be a mare, in case you forgot." she growled indignantly. She may have been a bookworm, but that didn't mean she enjoyed being viewed as ambiguous by a member of the opposite sex.

"Well, that explains it...Ah appreciate the help Twilight. Have a good one."

Twilight's expression softened, knowing he meant well. "You too Mac, good luck."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5-Firefly

Rainbow made great time to Cloudsdale thanks to a considerably strong tailwind on the way there. Arriving early, she still had another hour before she had to report to the Cloudesium. Adjusting her heading, she flew towards a familiar neighborhood. A quaint home caught her eye at the corner of the street below her. Dash landed softly on the porch she recognized from her fillyhood. She had spent many an afternoon playing with her Wonderbolt dolls while her mom and dad sat sipping hot cider, watching their daughter pretend to be one of her idols.

Rainbow smiled. She knew after her father passed, the stress of trying to provide for and raise her was tough on her mother. She did what she could, but she could only do so much. While she was working, Rainbow was raised by a whole parade of neighbors and caregivers that either volunteered to watch her, or had been hired to. There was however, a good reason her mother was always busy. She was, and still is the sharpest mind in the field of Quantum Mechanics in all of Equestria.

Rainbow knocked loudly on the door, waiting for a response, knowing that her mother -like her- was a sound sleeper. After a few moments, she heard shuffling from the hallway beyond the doorframe before it opened to reveal a slightly older mare, a few streaks of grey in her otherwise brilliant magenta mane, held tightly together in a bun with a quill.

The elder mare's eyes lit up as she embraced her daughter for the first time in a long while. Rainbow noticed she was still wearing her lab coat, the name _Wave Function_ inscribed elegantly on the breast.

"Hey mom." she sighed.

"Come in, come in!" she said happily, allowing her daughter into the house she grew up in. It was no Canterlot Castle, but it was where Dash spent her formative years, every square inch seeming to hold some memory of days gone by. "It's been too long Rainbow, why don't you visit more often?" she asked in a flat tone. That was her mother all right.

"Sorry ma, I haven't really had a lot of time..." she said turning to face her with a smile spreading across her lips. "Because I've been training to become a Wonderbolt! The tryouts are in an hour!" she said happily, as her mothers expression dropped slightly. Her lack of enthusiasm brought Rainbow down as well.

"What?" she asked, her mother looking her in the eye.

"Isn't stunt flying a bit...dangerous?"

Rainbow's eyes sharpened into a glare. She couldn't believe she was about to have this conversation _again_.

"It's what I was born to do, mom!" she protested.

"What about your job at the weather center in Ponyville?"

"I quit that noise. I won't need to buck clouds if I'm a Wonderbolt!" she snapped, tired of having to explain her reasoning, first to her friends, and now to her own mother. "I came here because I thought you'd support me for once!"

Her mother sighed. Rainbow got her temper from her father, and it was certainly showing. "Rainbow, I want you to be happy." she assured her, "I...just don't want anything to happen to you..." she whispered sadly.

Dash knew that had to have been what this was about. She felt like a total idiot for not seeing it before. Her mother had already lost the love of her life, and now she risked loosing her only daughter? How would she have felt if she was in her mom's position?

Rainbow's glare softened realizing the nature of her mother's worry. "Mom, nothing is going to happen to me, I promise." she swore.

"Your father said the same thing." she added quietly.

Rainbow hugged her mother before deciding it was time for her to take her leave.

"Mom, I promise, when I become a Wonderbolt, you're going to wonder why you ever doubted me." she whispered confidently during the embrace. That was another trait she inherited from her father.

"I know you'll make me proud, sweetheart."

With that, Rainbow bid her teary eyed mother goodbye as she headed toward the Cloudesium, noticing other pegasi flocking towards it as well. It seemed there would be quite a few others competing for a spot. Her heart began to beat faster, as the nerves she was able to suppress so well earlier came roaring back to life. She landed in the center of the arena to find all manner of pegasus, both stallion and mare stretching and warming up their wings, though the Wonderbolts were nowhere to be found. Rainbow took the time to stretch, though she was still nervous about what the day would bring.

She was confident in her abilities, but confidence would only carry her so far. She knew her moves were perfect, and her style, flawless. All that mattered now, was performing it the way she'd practiced. After a few minutes, She noticed a gold and blue streak arch across the sky before landing in the center of the arena. Dash's heart skipped a beat. They were here!

"Alright, as you all know, my name is Spitfire, and this is my co-captain Soarin. If you don't know who we are, you probably won't last very long," she stated plainly, neither her nor Soarin in their uniforms.

"Listen for your name, and let me hear you when it's called." she said as Soarin set a clipboard on the ground in front of her. She began calling out the forty or so names of everypony there, Rainbow waiting anxiously for her name to be called.

"Dash, Rainbow?"

"Here!" she called happily, Spitfire looking up from her list and recognizing those eyes and that mane anywhere. "Glad you could join us, kid." Rainbow blushed, her acknowledgment from Spitfire even earning her a few glares from her competitors.

After roll call, Soarin stepped up and addressed the recruits.

"Now then, as you are no doubt aware, there are both stallions and mares here today. That's because we have separate teams for the tryouts. Squad one is my squad. I need all stallions to stand to my left." The males in the group shifted as instructed, leaving only the pegasi females in front of Spitfire.

"Now then ladies," she began as Soarin took his twenty recruits to the other side of the arena to begin the tryouts. "You're with me. One thing I can assure you, is that this will not be easy, nor will it be fun," she said, pacing back and forth in front of the still kneeling mares. "But I didn't promise you a rose garden!" she shouted, startling nearly everypony in the group.

Surveying the group with her fiery amber eyes, Spitfire continued to pace and talk. "There are twenty of you here. In one hour, there will only be ten."

"At the western edge of the city, there is a platform we've set up with twenty pound stones waiting for you. You are to fly there, grab a weight, and bring it back here. The first ten mares to do this will move on, and become that much closer to becoming one of us. The others, train harder, and better luck next time." Spitfire finished, commanding her recruits to stand.

"On your mark, get set, go!" she shouted as the mares took flight towards their target. Rainbow began taking an early lead, her nerves finally settling as she realized she was still the fastest flier to ever come out of Cloudsdale. Setting her eyes forward, a light pink blur zipped by her, knocking into her wings and costing her both speed and altitude.

She focused a glare on whatever just knocked into her only to realize it was another pegasus! She had been...overtaken! Rainbow couldn't believe it. She was the fastest! There was no way this girl was quicker than she was, she had to be cheating somehow!

Rainbow pushed herself, gaining air on her passer. The mysterious newcomer kicked her wings into high gear with a cocky grin flashed in her direction before leaving a contrail of fire behind her that Rainbow had to work around if she didn't want her wings singed.

"Impossible!" Dash said approaching the mach threshold.

_All right. If it's a fight you want..._ she thought, knowing exactly how to put this newcomer in her place. Before she could attempt her signature move, her rival began to slow down, allowing Rainbow to pass as she grinned arrogantly down at her before coming to the horrifying realization that she had slowed down because the platform Spitfire had mentioned was right below them! Rainbow tried to slow herself down, but found she was going to overshoot the platform by a wide margin. Flaring her wings, and turning sharply, she felt her wing muscles begin to seize up.

_No! Not now! _she panicked, eventually coming out of the sharp turn still able to stay aloft. A sigh of relief and she was on the platform with a few other mares, trying to secure their weights and head back to the stadium. After clutching her stone to her chest, she continued flying as fast as her wings could carry her, her rival nowhere to be found. Rainbow ended up passing three or four others before crossing the finish line, praying her lapse in judgement hadn't cost her a shot at her dream.

Looking up at the scoreboard, she noticed her name next to the number five.

_Fifth place?_ she thought, disheartened. She had qualified, but she had to know who in the hay had just beaten her in her element.

At the top of the scoreboard, the name Firefly rose above the others.

"Hoped you liked my flank, you'll be seeing a lot of it." A voice from behind her jeered. Dash whipped around angrily to see the light pink pegasus with a blue mane and two blue lightning bolts adorning her flank. "I honestly thought the 'fastest flier in Equestria' would have been a bit quicker..."

Rainbow gritted her teeth. Taking a swing at her would certainly cost her a shot at her dream, so she settled on her words.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I _am_ the fastest, and I _will_, make the Wonderbolts, while you get sent home crying to your mama."

Firefly grinned. She had gotten under her skin, just as she had hoped. "That's not what the scoreboard says." she shot back, her smug tone nearly enough to push Dash over the edge. This was her dream, her moment! She'd be damned if she let some punk take that away from her.

"Wait till the next heat." Dash hissed. "I will destroy you."

The smug grin remained on Firefly's face. "We'll see about that, grandma."

"Grandma? You mother-"

"Rainbow!" Spitfire called form behind her. "Is there a problem here?" She shot one last glare at her rival before turning to face Spitfire.

"No, ma'am."

"I thought so. Competition is one thing, but fighting will get you both booted out of her so fast it'll make your head spin!" Spitfire shot back. "Now both of you get back with the rest of the group, we're only just getting started."

The rest of the day went by smoothly, as there were only elimination heats at the start of practice. Once you had safely secured your spot, the rest was all about what you could bring to the table as a Wonderbolt. By the time it was over, the sun had set, and everypony still there was exhausted. After the final exercise, they took a knee around Spitfire, all of them sweaty, smelly, and beat.

"Alright ladies, that was not a bad first day. I want to see all of you back here at the same time tomorrow. Yes, you will be sore, and yes, you will be tired when you get here." Spitfire explained, "But if you want it bad enough, you'll come back. There are ten of you girls left. There are two spots open on my squad. Take a look around. Everypony else is vying for your spot. Keep that in mind." she warned, "You're dismissed."

After the others began to leave, Rainbow found Spitfire reviewing the notes she'd written on her recruits as Soarin dismissed the stallions for the evening.

"Hey Spitfire! Tough practice today huh?" Rainbow panted happily.

"Yep." she answered, not looking up from her clipboard.

Rainbow expected a bit more response from her, seeing as how they had known each other before this encounter. "Yeah, so any word on who you like for the squad?"

Spitfire pulled herself from her notes and gave Rainbow a deadpan stare. "Listen Dash, I know we're friends and all, but during tryouts, I'm not going to give you any special treatment just because I know you. I'm gonna treat you just like the others." she added flatly.

"Oh, I didn't want anything like that!" Dash assured her, a blush coming over her cheeks. "I just wanted to know if a certain _sonic something_ would increase my chances?"

"Look Dash, I know you're fast, and you're a great flier, but what you did in the past doesn't count for jack here. You have to prove yourself in front of Soarin and I, just like everypony else who's ever worn the winged bolt, understand?"

Rainbow sighed, "Yeah, I know. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Now beat it, and get some rest for tomorrow." she said, shooing her away so she could finish her notes as Soarin brought his over.

* * *

By the time Dash had made it back to Ponyville, it was near midnight. To her surprise, she found a certain stallion asleep on her porch. She landed next to her door as Mac stirred, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, but giving her the same smile she'd fallen for back in Prairieville. It still wasn't enough to erase the humiliation and embarrassment of coming in fifth place.

"How was your first day?" he asked earnestly.

"I don't want to talk about it." she scoffed, entering her house and closing the door, leaving Mac outside on the porch. He knew when something was up. He'd have to have been blind to miss those signs. He got to his hooves, and tested the door, noting she had left it unlocked.

_Ah suppose if she truly didn't want ta talk about it, she'd have locked the door._ he reasoned, softly pushing the door open and following her inside. He stood in the entrance to her bedroom, noticing her on her bed, covers tightly over her and facing the wall. One thing he had learned about mares was that when they 'didn't want to talk' about something, that was code for: Make me talk about it because I'm not going to unless you show you care.

Macintosh stepped softly next to her bed, assuming she had somehow not made the cut.

"Ah know there ain't much Ah can say ta make up for you not bein' a Wonderbolt..." he whispered in his most comforting tone.

"I made the cut, Mac." she groaned, not moving from her balled up position beneath her blankets.

His mood lightened, but he was still somewhat confused as to what could have her acting this way. "That's great Rainbow! Ah knew you would!" he congratulated, taking a seat on her bed. "So what's the matter?"

Dash sighed, finally turning to face him. "I came in fifth during the first heat. Fifth!" she snapped, still somewhat shocked about it herself. "I haven't lost a race since I was a filly!"

Mac smiled, "Is that all?"

He certainly didn't mean to belittle her problems, but unfortunately that was exactly the way it sounded to her.

"Is that all?" she repeated back angrily. "I knew you wouldn't get it. You're just an earth pony." she growled, rolling back over to face the wall, clutching the locket she had left on her bed that morning.

The words stung, but he knew if there was one thing Rainbow wasn't good at handling, it was defeat. She wasn't mad at him, just upset at herself. He knew she'd never admit that.

"You've still got the rest of the tryouts to win your other races, don't ya?"

"Yeah..." she admitted, her mood softening as she realized Mac wasn't going to get in a shouting match with her. Which was really the only way she knew how to handle the emotions she was feeling. "It's this new girl, she was faster than me somehow." she admitted. "She had to have been cheating or something, her acceleration was unreal!" she said rolling onto her back and looking towards the stallion still seated on the edge of her bed.

"You really think she was cheating?" Mac asked, skeptical of her claim.

"No...but I'm the fastest there is! I just don't get how she can accelerate to her top speed that quickly!" she said angrily.

"Well, you still have tomorrow. Just 'cause she beat you in one race don't mean she's better than you." he said comfortingly, sliding down on her bed to lay beside her.

"Ah cleaned myself up before coming over this time." he joked, as she put a hoof over his.

"Thanks, I washed up at my mom's place." she said, putting the locket back into her nightstand, her tired wings demanding she get some rest.

"What was that?" Mac asked.

Rainbow realized he was referring to the locket, and had to decide whether or not she wanted to go into detail about its significance.

"It was my dad's, he died when I was a filly. It's just a picture of him and my mom," she said retrieving it and allowing Mac to examine it. He could certainly relate to holding onto a physical reminder of a lost loved one. Looking over it, he realized there was something inscribed on the back.

"What's this on the back?"

Rainbow shrugged as she snuggled closer to him.

"I dunno, not even Twilight could figure it out." she admitted.

He gave her back the locket and settled in for the night with her.

"Don't you have chores or something tomorrow?" she yawned.

"Eeyup. Ah won't be able to see ya every night, but Ah got done earlier than Ah expected today. Don't think Ah'll make it a habit, though. Ah'm gettin' tired of climbin' that ladder." he whispered back to her.

She leaned her head next to his and gave him a kiss. "Goodnight Mac, thanks for surprising me, I needed it."

He smiled, wrapping her securely in his forelegs and drifting off into an easy slumber.

* * *

For those unaware, Firefly was essentially Rainbow dash from a previous season. So you can put away your mary sue pitchforks and torches, and kindly disperse the mob as I have no idea where my tear gas launcher is and I don't feel like looking for it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6-Fast vs Furious

Rainbow woke before the sun, ready to show that _Firefly _who the best flier in Equestria was. After all, Rainbow was the only pegasus in recorded history to fly so fast she made her friends go through puberty simultaneously from three cities away!

Mac had rolled over in his sleep, his broad back nearly blocking out the sun shining through her window. She yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she got to her hooves, heading into her bathroom to shower. Her wings certainly were sore from yesterday, but it was as she had expected. Morning wings aside, the hot water soothed and relaxed her aching appendages, readying them for another hard day of agility drills and maneuvering.

Rolling over, Mac feeling he was alone in Rainbow's bed. Cracking his eyelids, he noticed a light shining from beneath the bathroom door. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and settled his hooves on her cloudy floor before realizing they sank right through the soft material. Scrambling to get a hold of something, he grabbed onto the footboard of her bed, half of his torso dangling from her house. Apparently this batch of lightness potion lacked the potency of the others he had bought. He'd certainly have a word with shopkeeper about this later.

"Rainbow!" he called frantically before losing his grip on the bed and falling through the floor completely, the only thing saving him from crashing to the ground being the rope ladder he had managed to tangle himself up in that still hung from her house.

_She ain't gonna be too happy 'bout th' hole in the floor... _he thought as he hung upside down, the rope having tangled in his hind legs as he swayed in the gentle morning breeze.

After she had showered, Dash stepped out of her bathroom, and right into the hole Mac had made. Luckily, Mac was in a position beneath the house to catch her in his forelegs as she realized what had happened.

"You forgot to take the rest of the potion before you went to bed last night, didn't you?" she asked flatly, as they both hung upside down from underneath her house. Macintosh couldn't help but laugh.

"Eeyup. This batch was 'sposed ta last till noon today."

Rainbow smiled. It was kind of funny.

"So, ya think ya could help me down?" Mac asked, "The blood's startin' ta pool in my head."

Rainbow turned to the even more red than usual stallion, still holding her, and smirked. "I dunno. I can think of a few reasons to keep you here."

Macintosh gave her a deadpan look, or at least as much as he could muster hanging upside down a hundred feet in the air. "Please don't joke about that."

Dash sighed. "Spoilsport. You're just lucky I can fly."

A few moments later, they were both safely on the ground, and untangled from the ladder.

"Good luck at tryouts today." he said, cricking his neck from side to side. "Don't let that Firefly get to ya."

She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Don't worry, I'll be alright." she smiled, taking off towards Cloudsdale in the pre-dawn darkness, as Mac set off to the farm to gather his tool belt. He knew of a certain shy pegasus whose chicken coop needed some attention.

* * *

Upon arrival at the farm, he found Applejack waiting for him on the porch with Winona. "Well hey there, Romeo." she teased, having just finished up her chores, the sweat on her brow glistening in the light of the lantern on their porch. "How's Rainbow?"

Mac blushed. He knew his sister was proud she had been indirectly responsible for their relationship, but it still got somewhat tiresome to be reminded of it every time he would return from visiting her.

"She's fine." he answered. "Ya know, it probably wouldn't hurt you to have a special somepony either."

Applejacks cheeks immediately lit a blazing red. "Ah don't need none 'a that mess," she replied quickly, petting Winona nervously.

"C'mon Applejack." he said, passing her as he walked toward the barn, "No mare is an island."

"Don't you worry about me, Macintosh." she called as he disappeared around the corner.

He had no time for his sisters nonsense today. In fact, he had half a mind to sic Applebloom and her friends on her romantic life, like they'd done with him. A smile cracked his lips at the thought, though he'd never do that to his sister...without good reason, anyway.

Rooting around in the barn for his tools, he quickly located his belt, but none of the items supposed to be populating it. "Applebloom!" he called into the upper loft of the barn. "What'd ya do with my tools?" It was bad enough he would have to deal with the potential awkwardness of being around Fluttershy after their little 'moment' a while back, and now he had to track down his stuff.

"Ah didn't touch yer tools!" she called back, none too happy about being accused.

"Well Ah know Granny Smith ain't touched 'em, and Applejack ain't touched 'em!" he replied, "So who does that leave?"

"Ah don't know nothin' 'bout your tools! Ah'm going ta school now!" his little sister added, trotting down the ramp to the loft with her saddlebags.

"Bye Macintosh!" she chimed, giving him a peck on the cheek before leaving to meet her friends on their usual walk to school.

_Typical. _Mac thought, scouring the barn for his tools, knowing that if the Applebloom and her friends got their hooves on them, there was no telling where they might have ended up. After a half hour of digging through hay piles and investigating the most unlikely of places, he finally found what he needed.

"Where ya headin' lookin' like that?" Applejack asked, entering the barn just as he was leaving. She began loading the apple preserves into her cart for a day of sales in the town square.

"I have it on good authority that Ms. Fluttershy's chicken coop could use some attention."

Applejack nodded, stopping her work and trotting back his way. "If your headin' that way, take her these apple fritters. Ah made 'em after she fixed Daisy Jo up after her spell of hay fever." she set a basket at his hooves as he took the handle in his mouth.

"Ahright" he managed, setting off toward the edge of the Everfree forest. It wasn't chocolate, as Twilight advised, but it was food.

The trail wasn't a long walk, but long enough to give him ample time to consider how uncomfortable the next few hours might be. The smell of the warm baked goods temporarily took his mind off of Fluttershy and onto how hungry he was. He'd forgotten to eat breakfast, and now his stomach was quick to punish him with a sharp rumble.

He pressed on, knowing he had a job to do. Macintosh kept his steady pace, noting the heat of the sun begin to burn the morning fog and dew away. In the sunlight shown a small, earthy cottage. He noticed a canary yellow form out front, standing at the entrance to the chicken coop he'd be repairing.

She noticed him as well, blushing as he'd expect, but thankful she didn't turn tail and run.

"H-hello Mac, I've had Twilight's doll ready for some time, I was wondering when you were coming for it."

Mac smiled, setting the sweet smelling pastries down at her hooves. "These are from Applejack and I, for healin' Daisy Jo."

"They smell delicious." Fluttershy gasped as she inhaled, giving the basket to Angel to put inside the house.

"The doll isn't th' only reason Ah'm here." he said, taking a look at her coop. "Ah understand your hen house could use some repairs?"

"Oh my yes, the hens have been very worried about their eggs." she added as they both took a look inside. "Just last week, Josephine lost two eggs to a hole in the floor."

"Well, we can't have that." he added, sizing up the job at hoof. "Ah'd be happy ta fix it up for ya."

Fluttershy blushed, thanking Mac for his generous offer. Her father had built it for her when she first moved in, but it had since fallen into disrepair without the proper upkeep.

"Thank you Macintosh, I'll get Twilight's doll for you." she said, fluttering into her house while Macintosh began his repairs.

After five minutes, she returned with the item, but decided she didn't want to interrupt Mac while he was working. She laid in the grass, Angel next to her with the doll between her forelegs. She didn't have too much to do today, so there was no reason she couldn't relax a bit and enjoy Macs company, even though he was just as quiet as she.

After a few hours, the coop looked nothing like it had before. The roof had been fixed, the holes mended, and the legs stabilized. All in all, Mac was pleased with the result, as was Fluttershy.

"Thank you so much Big Macintosh," she said in her usual soft tone, bringing with her two plates from inside with the food he had brought on them.

"Angel and I couldn't possibly eat all these ourselves," she admitted, giving Mac a welcome sight since he had smelled them on the way over.

"Thank ya kindly Ms. Fluttershy."

"Mac, you don't have to call me Ms...unless you just want to..."

"Sorry," he grinned, taking a bite of his only breakfast.

Mac sat Smarty Pants on his back, strapped securely to his tool belt before Fluttershy shattered his hope to avoid any awkward topics of conversation.

"Mac, can I uhm...ask you something?" she began, her voice nearly ending in a whisper, even though there were no others around.

"Sure," he answered, somewhat reassured that there was nothing more awkward than what happened last time.

_Well, nothin' could possibly be more uncomfortable than a confession of love, and that's already happened. At least Ah don't have to worry about anything like that. _he thought.

"Why do you like Rainbow Dash?"

Mac sighed. Caught completely off guard, he took another bite of his apple fritter to buy himself some time to think.

"Ah...uh..." he shifted nervously on his hooves. The breaking of his normally cool and stoic demeanor taking Fluttershy a bit by surprise.

His mind raced trying to nail down a particular reason he had fallen for the brash young stunt flier in the first place.

_Horseapples! Rainbow would kill me if she knew it was takin' me this long ta say somethin'!_ he thought, panic rising as he knew he'd have to say _something_. He knew one of the reasons he was attracted to her in the first place was her passion for doing what she loved...but was that it? An infatuation with an attitude, rather than the mare behind it? He banished the thought before managing an answer.

"Ah...Ah don't know." he whispered, almost too quiet for her to catch. The look on his face suggested he'd had quite the epiphany. "Ah just know Ah do." he completed quickly, so as not to give Fluttershy the wrong idea.

"Uhm...okay." she stuttered, expecting a more precise response. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you I'm...uhm...happy for you." she admitted, shying away from his gaze behind her mane.

"Thanks, Fluttershy." Mac nodded, departing as his thoughts were occupied by only one question.

_Why couldn't Ah think of anythin'?_

His hooves continued, one after the other absentmindedly ahead of him as he made his way home. So distracted by his conscience, he failed to notice his littlest sister calling for him, being trailed by her two friends. On another cutie mark crusade, no doubt.

"Big Mac!" Applebloom shouted, skidding to a halt in front of her brother. "We need your acetylene torch ta get our cutie marks!" she panted, her companions catching up to her and echoing her request. The dirt on their coats and bruises suggested they'd spent most of their morning crusading. It looked like Scootaloo needed to start wearing a helmet, a sizable purple whelp above her bright eyes.

Even though they promised to be careful with it, Mac had to put the breaks on their brilliant plan.

"But Rarity let us use her scissors on our last crusade!"

"Scissors and torches ain't in the same league, missy." he answered calmly, managing to push the rather shaking thoughts from his head.

Advising his sibling to try to earn a more flame retardant cutie mark, her friends hopped on the back of Scootaloo's scooter, waving goodbye to him before taking off down the dirt road.

Mac smiled. Though his sister and her friends caused trouble most of the time, he still enjoyed helping them crusade. When it didn't involve property damage or poisoning him and their teacher. He returned to the barn to find Applejack napping on a hay bail, her hat resting over her eyes. A sprig of wheat poked out from beneath it as her soft snores assured Mac she wasn't just resting.

He returned his tool belt to its proper place on the wall, casting a glance back at his sleeping eldest sister. A glint of metal peeked out from beneath AJ's makeshift bedding. It was his torch. It appeared the crusaders had come to Applejack first, then pled their case to him after she shut them down. He reached for Twilight's doll, carrying it in his mouth as he silently stepped away from the farm towards the studious young mare's home.

* * *

_First elimination heat of the day. Bring it. _Rainbow began her stretches, keeping a sharp eye out for her new rival. She'd put that punk in her place today, she was certain of that.

_Maybe she didn't have the stones to show up today. Probably crying in bed about how much her wings hurt- _her inner monologue abruptly ended when an all too familiar voice spoke up behind her.

"Well, if it isn't grandma. Joints aren't too stiff to fly, are they?" Firefly sneered. Rainbow casually turned around, a glare across her normally confident features.

"I hope you're ready for the flank kicking I'm about to put on you." Rainbow growled, stepping closer to her. "I'm going to run you into the ground!"

Firefly smiled, "Yeah, I bet you will."

Rainbow shot her a confused stare before Spitfire and Soarin ordered the remaining recruits to fall in for roll call.

After splitting themselves up between genders, Spitfire announced the rules of the first heat. "Of the ten of you left yesterday, I see you all returned to continue towards your goal. While admirable, know that half of you will be going home today in the next few minutes." she warned gravely, Rainbow and Firefly catching each other's eyes from across the group.

"This heat is simple. No weights, nothing but pure speed. The first five to reach the outer layers of Cloudsdale will move on. Take your marks! Get set! Go!"

Rainbow and Firefly took off to an early lead, one that they would hold for the rest of the race. Firefly was neck and neck with Dash, though she was only letting her believe she was as fast. Rainbow pushed herself as she began to pull away from her rival. Glancing back, she noticed Firefly begin to slowly catch up to her.

_No way! She can't be that fast!_

Dash had only one option. Time to show these amateurs what the title 'Best Young Flier' meant. She pushed herself toward the mach threshold, the familiar air cone beginning to form around her. She gave a cursory glance behind her, sure that there would be nothing to her rear but empty sky. Instead, Firefly was no more than a few seconds behind her, a mach cone beginning to form around her as she gained on Rainbow.

_I'm not losing to you! _Dash thought, ready to perform a sonic rainboom to hold her lead if necessary. It wasn't cheating, but it certainly wasn't fair. Before she had a chance to perform her signature move, Firefly pulled along side her. Rainbow shot a glare at her, before noticing she had a smile on her face, seeming to mouth the words 'goodbye' as she threw her shoulder into Rainbow's ribs, nearly knocking the wind out of her. The impact shook her, but didn't knock her out of the race. In fact, Rainbow had never felt more furious at that moment than she had in her entire life.

Firefly had gained about ten feet on her as the checkered flag became visible in the distance where Spitfire and Soarin waited.

"I'll kill you!" Rainbow roared, nearing sonic rainboom velocity as she slammed her shoulder as hard as she could into Firefly's side, the audible exhale bringing a grin of sadistic pleasure to Dash's lips as the both fell from the sky. On their way down, they both fought with each other, biting and throwing hooves like two drunks brawling in the street as they tumbled towards the city below.

Tangled in each other, they fell just across the finish line, both potentially tying for first place while the other pegasi crossed the line. Neither heard Spitfire's angry swears as they continued their scuffle on the ground, Rainbow eventually finding her way on top of Firefly, a foreleg raised to deliver a crushing punch before another hoof stopped her.

"Break it up! Now!" Spitfire demanded, yanking Rainbow off of Firefly while Soarin dragged her away from Dash.

"Soarin, continue the tryouts with my group." Spitfire snapped, a fury in her eyes the likes of which Rainbow had never seen. "You two," she paused, allowing the two would be brawlers to realize just how much trouble they were in. "Come with me. Now."

"But she tried to knock me out of the race!" Rainbow pled, as Firefly cut in.

"You saw her attack me! She was just mad she wasn't as fast as-"

"Both of you shut the buck up!" Spitfire growled, leading them away from the group before demanding they both take a seat.

"Fighting? Are you two still foals?"

Neither answered, both studying their hooves in shame.

"Spitfire, you have to believe me! I was going to win, and she hit me in the ribs!" Dash said again, Spitfire following her claim with one of her own.

"She told me she was going to run me into the ground before the race! I thought Rainbow Dash had more respect for the Wonderbolts than to try and win by cheating!"

"That's a lie and you know it!" Dash shouted back, anger rising in the pit of her stomach.

"What did I tell you two about fighting?" Spitfire growled, restoring order. "If you two weren't the best mares we've got in this recruiting class, you'd have been out on your asses five minutes ago!"

"It wasn't my fault! Spitfire, you've got to believe me!" Rainbow repeated, praying any clout their working relationship had would help Spitfire realize she was telling the truth.

"All I saw was you attacking Firefly, Dash." she answered, to which Firefly grinned.

"But, if you say that's what happened, I'll overlook this whole incident. On one condition."

"Name it." Dash added.

"If I even _think_you two are having problems, I'll make sure you never have anything to do with the Wonderbolts again." Both jaws nearly hit the floor.

"Do I make myself clear?" Spitfire whispered gravely.

"Yes ma'am." they responded in unison.

"Now both of you get back over there, and remember; one slip up like this again, and you're both out."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7-Mac Gets Country

Mac's hoof thumped heartily on Twilight's door.

"Hello Macintosh, I was just- Smarty Pants?" she gasped, seeing the doll atop his back. Her magic enveloped it as she remarked on its condition.

"It looks like she's had some work done!" Twilight added happily.

"Ah got her fixed up for ya. Fluttershy's a miracle worker with a needle and thread."

Twilight threw her forelegs around Mac's broad shoulders, taking him a bit by surprise.

"Thank you so much Mac!" she chimed, as he slowly returned the hug. "I tore the library apart looking for her! I was a mess when I thought I'd lost her for good."

Mac followed her inside as she continued to thank him. She carried her doll up to her room while he waited below.

"How do you think Rainbow's doing at tryouts?" Twilight called from upstairs.

"Good Ah hope, but we'll know soon enough," he replied, taking a seat on her couch. "Twilight, you wouldn't happen ta know anythin' about Rainbow's locket, would ya?"

"You mean the one with the gibberish written on it?" she replied flatly, her frustration at her inability to crack the language clear in her tone.

"That'd be it."

"We tried Mac. Heck, I tried for two nights straight trying to just figure out what language it was written in!"

"No luck?"

"None, whatsoever," she added coming down the stairs. "You want to try and translate it for her eh?" she smiled.

"Well, Ah thought, with your help Ah might have a better shot at it than just goin' it alone." he admitted, Twilight blushing at his compliment.

"Well, I do hate leaving a project unfinished...okay! Let's do it!" Twilight said happily, clapping her hooves together, the familiar rush of impending knowledge pumping through her veins. "I've got a couple of new linguistic books from the library in Canterlot I didn't have last time." she added, gathering the proper books from their shelves.

"Any idea how long this might take us?" Mac asked, not quite sure what he was getting into.

"I can't say. Maybe a few hours, maybe a few days!" she sang, her tone by itself speaking volumes about how excited she was to research a mysterious language. "But there's no reason you can't come back tomorrow, is there?"

"Ah suppose not..."

* * *

After a chewing out from Spitfire, Rainbow was simply glad to make it out of the second day of tryouts with a shot to join the team. Tomorrow was the final day, the last day of stress before the Wonderbolts made their decision. As Dash made her way back to her house, she noticed an orange filly trotting along slowly down a deserted road near her home.

Circling, she fluttered next to her, startling the nervous filly as she turned to her idol. Her bright smile tried to hide the puffy-ness in her eyes.

"What are you doing out this late, squirt?" Rainbow asked, draping a wing around her number one fan.

"I...I'm..." the tears that seemed so close before came rushing back, as the young pegasus knew she was out of lies to tell Dash about her parents.

"I ran away," she whimpered, trying her best to wipe away the tears, so as not to cry in front of her hero.

"Why?" Rainbow asked softly, drawing her in close with her wing.

"Because..." she sniffed, "My dad hates me."

Rainbow smiled. Sometimes she enjoyed helping Scootaloo with simple problems. "Your dad doesn't hate you." Dash assured her. "C'mon, what'd he do? Ground you? Take away your scooter?" she prodded, trying to get a smile from her little companion.

Scootaloo turned to face Dash, the light from the streetlamp they were under illuminating the filly's face, showing a nasty bruise above her right eye. The air left Rainbow's lungs in one sharp exhale, followed by a gasp.

"Your...your dad, did that to you?"

Scootaloo didn't answer, she simply broke down, crying as hard as Rainbow had ever heard any adult pony weep. She buried her running nose into Dash's chest as she hugged the little filly as tightly as she could. As soon as it had come, the sorrow and guilt Rainbow had been feeling was replaced by a searing anger at the thought of somepony putting their hooves on Scootaloo like that.

Dash broke the hug, "Get on, kid." she commanded, motioning toward her back.

"Where are we going?" she asked, once she climbed aboard.

"Back to your house. I'm going to have a few words with your father." Rainbow growled before ripping into the sky, careful not to go too fast.

"Rainbow please! You don't have ta do that!" Scootaloo pleaded over the rushing winds, "I just wait for him to sleep before I head back home!"

"You shouldn't have to do that at all!" Rainbow called back, seeing her house and fighting the urge to simply crash through the window and start beating on the first pony she saw.

Dash landed in the yard and Scootaloo hopped off, pulling Rainbow's tail in a vain attempt to stop her as she strode toward the door.

"Please Rainbow! You don't have to do this!"

"Hush Scoots, it's for your own good." Dash whispered harshly as she knocked on the door. After some shouting inside the house, a gruff, older looking earth stallion answered the door. His mane was unkempt, and green with streaks of grey in it. The stubble around his mouth suggested he wasn't much for hygiene, and on top of that, Rainbow could smell cider on his breath.

"You this filly's father?" she demanded, as the stallion looked through half lidded eyes toward Scootaloo, who was now trembling in fear behind Rainbow.

"How'd you get out of your room?" he growled, not even answering Rainbow's original question. "Just wait till I get you back in that house, girl!" he said taking a step towards her before being blocked by Dash.

"Keep your filthy hooves off her!" she snarled, getting close to his face. "How dare you call yourself a stallion when you lay your hooves on your own daughter like that!"

He grunted out a laugh as he shoved Rainbow off the porch, sending her sliding onto the ground on her back. The force of the impact making her smack her head on the ground, leaving a sizable bump. "She ain't my daughter!" she heard him say.

Rainbow shook it off in time to see him toss Scootaloo back into the house, slamming the door shut behind him.

Dash feared for her friend's safety, but knew there was nothing she could do about it. She did however, know someone who might be able to. In record time, Rainbow made it to Sweet Apple Acres to find Macintosh sitting on the front porch of his country home, half asleep.

"Mac! I gotta problem!" she shouted, skidding to a halt in front of him.

"What is it?" he asked, getting up from his seat, sensing her panic. He noticed the bruises from Rainbow's scuffle with Firefly, and immediately stepped toward her.

"I found Scootaloo walking by herself on my way home. She told me she ran away, and I asked why, and she said because her dad hits her!" she spat, nearly in one breath.

"So I tried to confront him, right? And I went over there, and he was drunk, and I confronted him, and he pushed me off the porch and-"

"Let me see if Ah have this right." he interrupted, holding a hoof in the air to silence her. "He hits his foal, then put his hooves on you?"

Rainbow nodded, "It didn't hurt or anything, but-"

Mac walked past her, heading to the barn without a word.

"Mac? Where are you going?" she called after him.

He didn't answer as she fluttered off the porch behind him as he entered the barn. "Mac! Answer me!"

"Ah'm just gonna ta talk to him." he said, eyeing his wall of farm implements carefully before retrieving a machete and scabbard with a shoulder sling.

"Why do you need a _machete _to talk to someone?" she asked, panic flowering in her chest, to which Mac calmly replied:

"Ah'm just gonna talk to him."

Mac strode out of the barn and toward town, Rainbow attempting to stop him the whole way. "Mac! There's a thing called prison, you know!"

"Ah'm not going ta prison, Ah'm just gonna talk to him." he assured her, as she put her forelegs on his chest and dug in with her hind legs in an attempt to stop his stride. He merely pushed her along in front of him, dirt gathering beneath her hooves as she slid.

Within the hour, they were in front of Scootaloo's house, all the lights having gone out since Dash's last visit. Mac pounded hard on the door, its old hinges nearly giving way behind the force. Muffled obscenities from beyond the door grew closer as Rainbow begged Mac not to do anything stupid one last time.

"Please Mac, I'm not visiting you in jail!" she snapped harshly.

"Don't worry, you're technically my accomplice, so you'll get locked up with me." he replied, smiling down at her.

"What?"

The door opened, and Mac looked at the pudgy stallion before him, then back to Rainbow.

"This him?" he asked calmly.

"Yeah." Rainbow sighed, resigned to her fate as an accomplice to whatever revenge Mac was planning. She'd never seen Mac really upset, but supposed she was about to.

"Oh, you're back, are you?" the stallion sneered. "What, you think some hired muscle's gonna intimidate me? I've got friends, you know, and at one word from me, they'll-Ack!"

Mac wrapped both forelegs around his neck, lifting him up, and over his head before slamming him into the dirt of his front yard on his back. The oxygen in his lungs exited in a rush of air, cutting his tirade short. The much larger Big Macintosh stood over him, drawing his machete from its scabbard with a sickening metal hiss.

"Now," he growled "Listen to me as hard as you fucking can. If Ah ever, hear _anythin_' about you putting your hooves on another filly or mare again, Ah'm gonna come back here, and take one of yours with me." he swore, dragging the blade across the pudgy earth stallion's ankle menacingly. "Understand?"

A low moan escaped the drunken stallion's mouth. Macintosh grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him down again, rage burning in his eyes. _"Understand?" _he yelled.

Scootaloo's father whimpered, nodding so quickly that his head was a blur. Macintosh withdrew, sheathing the machete, letting him scramble to his hooves and flee to the house. "Ah'm glad we understand each other."

He waited until the door slammed closed, then turned to Dash, smiling. "See? Ah told ya Ah was just gonna talk to him." he said happily, as if he didn't just threaten to amputate another ponies limb. "Sometimes all bullies need is the fear of Celestia put back in 'em." he added, motioning for her to join him on his walk back to the farm.

"So, how was practice?"

* * *

Rainbow woke up a few hours before tryouts, unable to sleep. Unlike the last two nights, in which sleep came easy. It seemed her nerves were dead set on making sure the last day of tryouts would be as nerve wracking as possible. Her locket sat on her bed as she paced back and forth in front of it.

Her stomach was turning as she walked, her mind racing with all sorts of terrible possibilities she had managed to suppress for the past two days. Dash had never recalled feeling this nervous before; in fact, the butterflies in her stomach soon grew into hornets as she rushed to her bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet before vomiting.

As she panted over the rim, she made sure she wasn't going to puke again before moving to the sink and washing her face. As she examined herself in the mirror, she prayed these were just her nerves, and not her coming down with something on the final and arguably most important day of the tryouts. She put a hoof to her forehead. Not a fever, but still a little warm for her liking.

_Not today. _she thought confidently, trying to push the nervousness out of her system.

She propped her forelegs on the counter, staring at her reflection in her bathroom mirror. She hadn't had the perfect night, but she seemed too tired, even to sleep. The nausea had vanished as quickly as it had come, but the butterflies refused to abandon her stomach.

She continued pacing around her room, checking the clock as the minutes seemed to drag by, one by one. Her eyes scanned the room, bouncing from her signed photo of Spitfire, to her locket, then back to the clock. It was almost time to leave. She stepped onto her porch and breathed deep the cool morning fog. The acidic taste stuck to her tongue, even though she brushed her teeth a few seconds ago. Her nerves were all over the place today. She tried to focus on the task at hoof, but terrifying visions of failure bombarded her minds eye as she flew. She could hear the grating voice of Firefly as she mocked her for not making the cut.

Dash's eyes narrowed. She'd be damned if she let that punk steal her thunder.

In the blink of an eye, Cloudsdale appeared on the horizon, the lights of the Cloudesium shining brightly in the pre-dawn sky.

Her heart began to race the closer she got to the ancient structure.

_This is it. Today is the day you prove to the world you belong with the best!_

She landed softly, catching a glimpse of her rival as she landed to stretch. They exchanged glares as Spitfire and Soarin showed up right on time.

"Okay ladies, there are only five of you left." Spitfire said, stepping towards her group, "That being the case, there will be no elimination heat today." Some of the mares smiled with relief. Rainbow and Firefly weren't as receptive, having been denied a chance to go head to head again.

"This is the last day of training. If you've been holding back, now's the time to step up." she warned, beginning the drills.

* * *

Macintosh finished his chores earlier than usual that day, knowing he had somewhere to be that morning. After a quick wash up, he set off toward the library he had grown somewhat accustomed to, seeing as how he had spent many hours with Twilight trying to figure out the message on the back of Rainbow's locket. He had just made it back to his house when he had to deal with Rainbow's little 'problem'.

He had asked Twilight to keep their project a secret. He grinned as he imagined the smile on Rainbow's face and the shine in her eyes after learning he had translated her locket for her. She'd be happy, he just knew it. He came upon the treehouse, raising his hoof to knock before a canary yellow pegasus opened the door, both of the quiet ponies startling each other.

"Oh! Hello Big Macintosh." she said timidly.

"Howdy Ms. Fluttershy." he responded cordially, "How's the coop holding up?"

"It's doing well, you did a great job." she added sincerely.

"Well, it was no trouble at all. It was the least Ah could do for all you've done for our livestock."

Fluttershy blushed as she took a few steps to clear the doorway, Twilight appearing from within her home.

"Hi Mac! Ready to pick up where we left off last night?" she asked happily.

"You bet!" he answered, ready to finally solve the puzzle of his marefriend's most sacred item. Fluttershy looked to Mac, then back to Twilight before taking her leave.

"Thank you for the books Twilight. Bye!" she nodded, acknowledging both ponies.

Mac and Twilight entered the library as Fluttershy set off back toward her cottage.

_Big Mac sure has been going to Twilight's a lot..._ Fluttershy thought as she took her books on bird migration back to her woodsy home. _I'm sure it's nothing, he said he likes Rainbow! He's too honest to cheat on anypony. Still..._

She shook the thought from her head. Yes, it was strange that Mac had been spending that much time with Twilight while Rainbow was away at tryouts, but there was nopony more honest than the brother of the element of honesty, right?

_Fluttershy, you're being silly! _she thought, though she knew Rainbow Dash would tell her about any suspicious things her coltfriend was doing while she was away, if she ever got one.

Still, she had seen him leaving Twilight's late last night while she had been running a late night errand to buy Angel more of his favorite rabbit food.

_I'm sure it's nothing scandalous._

Try though she might to push the thoughts from her head, she couldn't stand the thought of her best friend Rainbow Dash being hurt by somepony. _I'll just ask her if Mac has a reason for seeing Twilight while she's been away. I'm sure he's under her instruction anyway._

* * *

"I spent most of last night looking up ancient and dead languages after you left," Twilight began as Mac took a seat on her couch. "And I finally think I've figured out the language!" she chimed happily, clapping her hooves together as she prepared herself to reveal the mysterious script.

"And? What'd ya find out?"

"It's a derivative of Latin, a language that died out a long time ago, in fact, it used to be the language all royal business was conducted in 500 years ago, until it was decreed that the language of royalty should also be the language of the ponies." she explained.

"All we have to do is compare those letters with our language, and we'll have this thing translated by tonight at the latest!"

"Sounds good." Mac answered, almost all of Twilight's research going in one ear and out of the other.

* * *

"Alright ladies, I know this was a tough practice, but I've seen all I need to make my decision. We will be contacting all of you within the next two weeks, so check you mailbox daily." Spitfire instructed. "Only two of you will be getting in. The other three, I want to see you next year, better than you were before, understand?"

"Yes ma'am!" they answered enthusiastically, tired though they certainly were.

"You're dismissed."

Rainbow didn't hang around to talk trash or try and get any names out of Spitfire. She was truly exhausted, and unsure whether she'd even be able to make it back to Ponyville.

Deciding it better to sleep in her old room at her mothers house than crash on the way back to her own, she made the quick flight to her familiar home. Her mother greeted her in her bathrobe and welcomed her daughter inside, offering her some of the dinner she'd just put away. Rainbow heartily obliged and nearly ate everything in the house before sauntering off to her foalhood bedroom.

After a kiss goodnight, Rainbow found herself on her back, staring at an all too familiar ceiling. Wonderbolts posters adorned nearly every square inch of the walls, while the stuffed animals she played with as a kid sat in a small pile in the corner. Her mother no doubt came in after she moved out to organize.

She felt terrible about leaving her mother alone in Cloudsdale like this. After her father died, filly Rainbow had promised her mother that she'd never leave her alone like daddy had. It seemed that was a promise she couldn't keep, and it ate at her conscience whenever she thought about it. Rainbow tossed to her right, beneath the Wonderbolt blanket she'd slept under every night as a filly.

_Sweet Celestia, I hope I made the Wonderbolts._ she thought, knowing that if she didn't, there would be no weather job to fall back on. In fact, she didn't even have a plan for what she would do if she _didn't_make it.

The next few days would be the most stressful as she would wait by her mailbox every morning for Derpy to bring her what she had prayed for every night since she could fly.

Her eyelids growing heavy, she began to drift off into a well-deserved slumber, only semi-confident that she would be wearing the winged bolt by next week.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 9- Signing Bonus

"Yeah, but there ain't no need for that," he whispered back to her. "We'll talk about that after supper." he insisted, taking a sip of his drink before the eldest Apple addressed Rainbow.

"Now Rainbow, Ah understand you and my boy are courtin'?" The elder Apple asked.

"Yes ma'am," Rainbow blushed, casting a slight glare at AJ, knowing exactly how Granny Smith had come across such information.

"That's good, Ah remember courtin' stallions when I was just a young'un like yourself," she sighed nostalgically before continuing, "Are you and Macintosh bein' safe in th' bedroom?" she asked out of nowhere, nearly causing Mac to spit out his mouthful of apple cider, and Rainbow to blush brighter than he'd ever seen.

"Granny!" Applejack interjected, taken completely aback by her forwardness.

"Safe? From what? Is your bedroom dangerous?" Applebloom asked, only to be shushed by her older sister.

"Head upstairs for a minute please Applebloom, the adults need ta discuss somethin'," Mac insisted.

"Ah'm a big pony! Ah want ta know what you're supposed ta be safe from! What if there's somethin' gonna attack me in my bedroom?" the little filly protested.

"Applebloom, Ah'll tell you later, now please go upstairs," Mac requested sternly, though in a soft tone, so as not to come off as condescending to his littlest sister. Begrudgingly Applebloom excused herself and headed upstairs.

"Well, Granny, Ah'd rather not have this discussion at dinner," Mac began, _Or ever again _he thought, before the eldest Apple cut in again.

"That's alright, just make sure we don't end up with foals we can't support runnin' around," she completed as everyone left at the table felt extremely uncomfortable. Mercifully, Granny Smith changed the subject. "Rainbow, you aren't like the other girls Macintosh has brought over, you seem ta have a good head about ya."

Rainbow glared at Mac as he blushed in embarrassment.

"Other girls?" she growled.

"Ah was just wastin' time with them until Ah met you," he whispered smoothly, defusing a potentially dangerous situation.

"Anyway, Applejack, ya know we're strapped for money at the moment, and as much as Ah'd like ta believe Ah could do all the hard work the farm needs doin', there is only one of me," Mac began. "With that in mind, Ah wanted ta go to Canterlot ta ask the princesses for a loan ta hire extra help ta get us through this season."

His idea was met almost immediately with resistance from the most likely source.

"We've worked this farm for years by ourselves Macintosh! We don't need no help from nopony!" Applejack snapped in outrage.

"Applejack, it would take me weeks ta remove the dead trees alone! And if Ah'm doin' that, then who's plowin' the fields?"

"Ah could plow them dang fields if it came down ta that!" she responded as Rainbow and Granny simply watched the siblings argue.

"Applejack, Ah know you could, but by the time you do, it'll be winter," Mac replied, not meaning to set off his sister's prideful nature, but doing it all the same.

"You sayin' Ah cain't?" she hissed, pounding her forelegs on the table.

"Applejack, calm down," Granny demanded, AJ's respect for her grandmother silencing her dissent.

"You know darn well you and Macintosh work yourselves ta death takin' care a this farm. If the princesses see fit ta give us a helping hoof, it would be disrespectful not to accept," she completed, dabbing her chin with her napkin.

"There ain't no shame in accepting help Applejack, you learned that after ya nearly destroyed the town thinkin' you could help everypony," Mac added, his sister slowly coming to grips with the reality of the situation.

"Ah suppose you're right," she sighed. Mac and Rainbow excused themselves to the porch to talk about a small pegasus filly whose safety had been on their minds since Applebloom had spoken of her.

"You need ta talk to Scootaloo and make sure her stepdad ain't been harassin' her anymore," Mac said in a hushed tone, the night settling in over the orchards.

"Yeah, I'm sure I can catch her after school tomorrow," she yawned, "I'm gonna head back. Thanks for dinner."

Rainbow gave him a quick kiss and took off into Luna's brilliant night sky.

Upon her arrival back home, she found an envelope with a winged lightning bolt slid beneath her front door.

Rainbow's heart seemed to stop. This was it. Behind that envelope was the note that would determine if all of her hard work, the dream she'd held since she was but a filly, would pay off. She almost didn't want to open it. She bit her lip as she held it with nervous hooves. Opening it, she flipped open the letter and was surprised to see it only had two words written on it.

_Go outside?_she thought, turning back to her still open door, to find Spitfire on her porch.

"Spitfire?" she asked in shock. She hadn't even heard her approach! How on earth had she managed to sneak up on her?

"Hey Dash," she said cooly, not averting her gaze from the brilliant night sky.

"S-so did I make it?" Rainbow asked nervously.

Spitfire smiled, turning to her. A devilish grin crossed her lips as she seemed to look past Rainbow toward somepony behind her. "Do it," she demanded, as a black bag was shoved over Rainbow's head and her hooves and wings bound together before she knew what was going on.

"What the heck is this?" she cried beneath the black bag covering her face. She felt hooves on her as she was shoved into the back of a chariot and felt it take off.

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded as her demands were met with hostility.

"Will somepony shut her up?" She recognized that voice. It was Spitfire! What had she gotten herself into? Her mask was lifted briefly to gag her and then replaced. In the instant her vision was restored, she had seen four other ponies in ski masks holding her captive. For the first time in her life, Rainbow was terrified. Was this really happening? It had to be a trick! Perhaps the Changelings had returned to capture the elements of Harmony one by one to try and retake Equestria!

She felt every bump of turbulence along the way to wherever she was being taken. Thoughts of what waited for her at the end of the journey bounced around in her head as she tried to maintain her composure. In the silence of the ride, she could hear what sounded like another voice muffled by a gag of some sort near her, though she had no idea who it belonged to. It seemed she wasn't the only pony to get kidnapped tonight.

After an indeterminate amount of time, she felt the carriage stop, nearly causing her to tumble onto the floorboards.

"Let's move."

That one sounded like Soarin, but she had no way of knowing. She felt hooves underneath her forelegs lift her and drag her out of the carriage and along the ground as Rainbow fought the whole way, though every appendage that might have aided in her escape had been bound.

She felt the material collecting beneath her limp back legs gather as she was dragged to wherever they were taking her. Dash recognized the feeling; she was being dragged across clouds! At least she knew she had to be somewhere in Cloudsdale.

Soon, she felt the ponies dragging her along stop. The creaking of metal greeted her ears as she was forcefully tossed on her flank a few feet forward before hearing an old iron door slam and lock behind her.

Still with her bonds and mask on, she set out to free her forelegs from the ropes tying them. After about five minutes of trying, Dash freed her forelegs, ripping her mask off and removing the gag. Looking around, she saw what appeared to be a windowless dungeon. A single torch by the lone door to this Celestia forsaken place provided enough light for Rainbow to notice she was in a jail cell. Another figure in a black mask was in a separate cell beside hers, it too was struggling to remove its bonds. Reaching a hoof through the bars, Dash helped the stranger remove her mask before realizing whom she had just aided.

"Firefly?" she nearly hissed in disgust, withdrawing her hoof as if she would have bitten it off.

"Who's there? Oh, it's you," she sneered after removing her gag and turning to face her.

"They come... they come for everypony, you know..." a near whisper drew both mares attention to the cell at the far end of the room. The voice was aged and worn, as though it belonged to an elderly stallion. In fact, it did. An old, emaciated and frail looking pegasus stallion sat in the corner of his cell, gently rocking back and forth in the fetal position, muttering to himself.

"You two... the bell tolls for thee," he whispered, his discolored red and blue eyes shifting between Dash and Firefly. "I've seen all. All the sacrifices before you, they come. The robed ones, to devour your soul..." Still, the old pony rocked back and forth, muttering more incoherent babel.

"Who are you? What is this place?" Firefly demanded.

"You will not escape the chamber... nopony escapes the chamber..." he whispered, before being thrown into a fit of insane laughter, the likes of which chilled both pegasi to the bone as a new wave of fear washed over them, though neither would admit it.

Before they could question the lunatic pony further, two ponies in black robes opened the door to the dungeon, where a bright red light blasted through, temporarily blinding everyone in the formerly dark prison.

The robed ponies did not speak. One simply pointed a hoof at the old stallion, causing him to plead and beg for his life.

"Please! Take one of them! Not I! Not I, I beg you!" Rainbow and Firefly watched in terrified paralysis as they opened his cell door, and dragged him by his hind legs out of the dungeon as he screamed and begged for mercy until his cries slowly faded away.

Rainbow swallowed nervously. What in the hay had she gotten herself into?

"Look, I know we both hate each other and everything, but if we're gonna make it out of here alive, we need to work together," Dash explained, turning to Firefly.

"Ha! I'd rather die than help you," she spat. Rainbow couldn't believe her ears. What on earth is wrong with this mare?

"Are you serious? What is your problem with me?" Dash demanded, fed up with being loathed for no reason.

Firefly resisted at first, but figured since they were both probably going to die, she might as well get it off her chest.

"Your father was a flight instructor, wasn't he?" she began, as Dash's mouth opened in astonishment.

"Yeah, he was. How did you—"

"I'm not finished. He was supposed to keep his students safe, but he sucked pretty hard at that, didn't he?" she growled, as Rainbow noticed a glint of sorrow in the normally angry young mare's eyes.

"Don't you dare talk about my father that way!" she snapped, bringing herself as close to Firefly as the bars would allow.

"I know he did, because he let one of his students fly into a thunderstorm when he wasn't paying attention like he should have been!" she egged on, tears forming in her ice blue eyes.

"You son of a—" Dash stopped mid syllable. She realized why Firefly knew all this, and why she was beginning to get emotional when explaining it. "You're Cloudy's little sister, aren't you?"

"Yeah, and when I got my invite to the Wonderbolt tryouts, I knew I'd be able to fulfill the dream my big brother had of becoming one before your incompetent father took it from him!"

"It was your idiot brother's fault! What kind of moron flies into a thunderstorm?" Dash snapped back. Had iron bars not been separating the two of them, they'd have torn each other apart by now.

"He was just a foal! Your dad should have-have..." Firefly's rock solid demeanor began to crumble as she thought of her brother. "Your dad took my best friend away from me," she sniffed through gritted teeth, "He was supposed to save him and he failed!"

"Your brother was the one who killed my dad by being an idiot! I had to grow up without a father because of him!" Dash nearly screamed, tears beginning to fall from her fiery eyes as well.

They glared at each other, the silence in the dungeon filling their ears as they vented years of pent up anger and resentment towards an event that neither had anything to do with, nor had any control over.

"Then I guess we'll both die angry," Dash muttered, turning her back to Firefly so she wouldn't see her tears.

Before another response could be formed, the dungeon door swung open, revealing the robed ponies once more, only this time, their robes were now stained with smears of red. A hoof pointed to Rainbow as two of them advanced on her. With her hindlegs and wings still bound, she tried to resist, but found it impossible as she was dragged outside the dungeon, where another mask was placed over her head. She was lead down a maze of twisting corridors until she was thrust to her knees, the light of torches gently shining through the dark fabric of the mask as it was removed.

Before her stood two robed figures behind a large desk, the skull of a pony placed on the desk before them. A large, curved blade sat behind the skull. Before Rainbow could say a word, the robed ponies spoke.

"Rainbow Dash, your wings have been chosen to be sacrificed to the Great Spirit as an offering, in thanks for the gift of flight she had seen fit to bestow upon the pegasi race. It is the highest honor we can bestow. Do you accept?" It was Soarin's voice, that she knew. Had this been what the tryouts were all about? Seeking a suitable sacrifice? Had she been played so thoroughly?

"No!" she shouted, the tears from her argument with Firefly still blurring her vision.

The robed ponies behind the desk faced each other and muttered between themselves before turning back to her. "Very well, if you will not give your wings, then we will take them."

Before she could react, she felt multiple hooves hold her down, forcing her onto her belly as she flapped her wings madly in an attempt to escape. She heard the metal hiss of the knife being drawn from the table as she screamed and shouted in protest, trying to resist but finding the weight of the other ponies to be just too much.

The knife passed in front of her face, the tip gently dragged down her neck and back, stopping where her wings were still bound. Rainbow cringed, gritting her teeth and awaiting the cold steel she knew was just moments away from cutting through her most tender of flesh, when the torches were suddenly extinguished. Darkness was all her eyes could see as she felt the other ponies remove themselves from atop her. A blast of light soon blinded her as her eyes adjusted, normal lighting having been restored. Had she been rescued in the nick of time?

A robed pony stepped in front of her, and flicked the hood off of her head.

"Gotcha," Spitfire smiled, as the rest of the mysterious robed ponies removed their hoods and began laughing.

"Just what in the hay is going on here?" Dash demanded as Spitfire untied her.

"You didn't think we were going to cut your wings off, did you?" Soarin asked, still holding back a grin.

A prank. An elaborate, perfectly executed prank. The relief Dash had been feeling was itself enough to cause her to laugh with them.

"But the cells...and the crazy old pony...how in the-"

"We usually pick a pony to be the crazy one, this time Rapidfire drew the short straw. I swear he could have been an actor if not for how good he was at flying," Spitfire explained, motioning to the 'crazy old pony' they had seen in the cells earlier as he wiped the makeup from his face and removed the contact lenses. "We usually get the male recruits first, but this time we switched it up a bit."

"You do this for everypony that tries out?" Rainbow asked.

"Nope, just the ones who make the squad. Congratulations Rainbow, you're a Wonderbolt."

Rainbow's breath left her lungs and refused to return as she grinned from ear to ear.

"R-Really?" she managed to squeak.

"That's right! Now follow Soarin, we've got to get set up for Firefly."

Rainbow's expression dropped slightly. "She made the cut too, huh?"

"That's right. You two are part of a team now, and I expect you to work together _without _any problems. Can I count on that?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good."

Soarin led Rainbow to his office. It wasn't huge, but it still had a pretty good view. His various awards and magazine covers adorned the walls around his desk as Dash took a seat in front of it. She was still somewhat awestruck to be sitting in the office of the first stallion she ever remembered having a crush on as a filly.

"Sorry if you got a little freaked out over that whole thing," he said, digging into one of his desk drawers and finding the papers he was looking for. "It's an initiation tradition, we all had to go through it."

"No, it's cool. I can appreciate a good prank," she smiled, feeling her cheeks run redder than usual.

Soarin smiled at her. She had seen that smile staring back at her from many a magazine cover, but they simply didn't do it justice. She felt as though she could look at it forever. Her stomach butterflies came roaring back to life as he slid a packet of papers toward her.

"This is your contract, it's a ten year deal, with at minimum four product tie-ins, mall openings, celebrity appearances, per month during the off-season as well as any hazardous duty waivers or accidental death or dismemberment clauses," he explained, though he might as well have been speaking another language to her as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Just sign and date here, here, here, initial here, and sign, date, and hoofprint here," he added, pointing out where she needed to make her mark. Taking the quill in her mouth, she began filling out the paperwork. She stopped at the last page, where the words 'signing bonus' caught her eye.

"What's this about a signing bonus?"

"In addition to our 300,000 bits a year salary, you get a signing bonus to keep you financially solvent until we start getting our show pay, which can range from 100,000 bits a show to 500,000, depending on the venue, whether or not it sold out, you know, that kind of stuff."

Rainbow followed the dotted line over to the amount of her signing bonus.

"Two point one? What's that mean?"

"Two point one million," Soarin answered, casually taking a sip of his coffee as though he didn't just mention Dash would be a millionaire upon completion of this contract.

Dash's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"T-two point one million bits?"

Soarin flashed her that same handsome smile. "If you could see the look on your face," he commented, "I live for this kind of thing."

Dash took a look back down at the contract. "This isn't another prank is it?"

"Nope, just sign that last line, and put your hoofprint on that bad boy, and you'll be swimming in bits," he answered, taking another sip from his coffee.

With a shaky mouth, Dash sighed her name, though it was probably unrecognizable to anypony but her.

"Congratulations Rainbow Dash, you're the newest —and best looking, if you don't mind my saying so— addition to the Wonderbolts."

She had just made over two million bits in ten seconds, and her fillyhood hero/crush just called her cute. Today was a great day.

"Now, as soon as they're done with Firefly, we have another little tradition we like to participate in around here," Soarin smiled, getting up from his chair and motioning her to follow.

"Another one?" Dash asked nervously.

"Trust me, you'll like this one."

* * *

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!" Rainbow chugged her sixth or seventh hard cider as the other Wonderbolts cheered the rookies on. The other tradition they had mentioned was the team taking the rookies out to dinner, and then getting them absolutely obliterated at one of the nicest night spots in all of Cloudsdale. The cover charge alone was 1,000 bits, but it was all on the Wonderbolt's tab.

Rainbow had won four out of five head to head chug-offs against the other rookies, even beating Firefly, whose differences they had set aside for now.

"Oh *hic* yeah... who else wans a piece of th' c-champ?" Dash slurred, looking around at the table of her new co-workers.

"Soarin does!" Fleetfoot shouted, as Soarin blushed a bit, drinking his beer to keep from having to respond. They were all quite drunk, but the good times were rolling, and Rainbow was still in disbelief that she'd finally landed her dream job, and was now flushed to the gills with bits!

"Sorry Soarin, I'm..." she paused. There was no reason she had to tell them she _had _a coltfriend. It wasn't like she was going to do anything to screw up what she had with Mac, but these were hard partying, single and free mares and stallions; the rockstars of the pegasi race! She had to fit in, right?

"I'm going to need another drink before I do anything with you!" she added flirtatiously, much to the laughter of their teammates.

After nearly a full night of drinking, Rainbow threw herself into the back of a cab with Soarin, who was paying the fare for her.

"C'mon...let me get the c-*hic* cab fare," Rainbow hiccuped.

"No, rookies don't pay on their first night, that's the rule," Soarin answered, just as drunk.

"Oh you and your rules..." she said, having laid her head on Soarin's lap to try and get some sleep in the brief ride back to her house. Before long they were both passed out in the back of the cab as the driver woke them as they arrived at Rainbow's cloud home.

"Rook, wake up."

Soarin shook her gently as she raised her head from his lap.

"Huh?"

"We're at your place," he said as he opened the door for her and she stumbled out onto her porch face first. She was certainly lucky clouds were so soft.

"Keep it running, I'll be right back," the slightly more sober Soarin said as he hopped out of the cab to help Rainbow to her door, only to find a red earth stallion walking towards her.

"Rainbow, where have you been?" Mac asked, concern evident in his voice as she tried to pull herself together.

"Take it easy, she's been with us...hey don't I know you?" Soarin answered.

Mac turned and shot a cold stare at him. "Who is us?" he demanded.

"The Wonderbolts. Tonight was her initiation. You her roommate or somethin' guy? Oh wait! You're Afflejacks brother! Dude, your sister's pie is amazing. Her apple pie, not her...well you know. I bet it's pretty good to though..."

Mac growled, none too happy about being accosted by a strange drunk male falling out of a cab with his equally drunk marefriend. "Ah'm her coltfriend, and you can git!"

"Ha! Coltfriend. I've heard that one before!" Soarin slurred, getting back into the cab.

"What was that?" Mac demanded, though by the time he turned, the cab had taken off.

"Mac! Just the s-stallion I wanted to see!" she said happily, planting a sloppy tongue kiss on his lips as she wrapped her forelegs around his neck for support. He led her inside her house as she continued her drunken ramblings.

"You know... I once knew a guy... you look like him... we herded cattle together this one time, and we lost them all! Wait that was you!" she laughed, putting a hoof to her face as Mac laid her down in her bed. "What are you..." she paused to yawn, "Doin' here anyway?"

"Well, Ah was bringin' ya some food, since Ah knew the store'd be closed after you left the farm, but you've been gone all night! Ah figured you'd be back soon, so Ah decided ta wait on ya. Ah didn't think you'd take as long as ya did."

"Yeah...sorry about that, I kinda got kidnapped, but everything is fine now that you're here!" she said, rolling onto her stomach and raising her flank in the air, waving her tail provocatively at Mac.

"Do me," she demanded.

"Uhm...Ah don't think repetitive motion is such a good idea in your condition," He reasoned, not wanting to have to clean up any messes.

"Mac, you're my coltfriend! You're 'sposed to do me when I want to be done!" she whined, not moving from her position, even wagging her flank at him. Mac sighed, he supposed he could oblige her, not that she'd ever have to twist his hoof into this sort of thing.

"Fine, just let me—" he was interrupted by the sound of Rainbow snoring loudly. Chuckling to himself, he pushed her flank back down and covered her in her blankets, kissing his totally hammered girlfriend goodnight as he left her home to head back to his own.


End file.
